


The Sins of the Father

by Witch_Nova221



Series: Hunted Through Time [3]
Category: Doctor Who
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance, Supernatural Elements, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-01
Updated: 2016-02-01
Packaged: 2018-05-17 15:28:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 18
Words: 91,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5876188
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Witch_Nova221/pseuds/Witch_Nova221
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Many years on from their battle with the Cyka Idralas the Doctor and Rose think nothing can harm them but the Doctor's past not only catches up with them, it disappears. Part three of the Hunted Through Time Series.</p>
<p>First posted in 2007 and no edited prior to reposting. This is rated for violence, sex, and character deaths.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Darlig Ulv Stranden

The wind blew the salt spray up from the grim, grey water, creating little cyclones on the surface that died the second it reached the colourless sand. There was no joy on this beach, no children played happily, building sand castles and chasing aggravated parents with seaweed poultices freshly harvested from the blue and frothy waters. It rarely saw the Sun and when it did it was cold and grey, hazed behind the dim clouds. The cliffs jutted out from the bay like great, sharp giants' teeth, ready to tear open any living soul that dared to traverse them. In the night they were threatening sentinels, bidding any ship a terrifying welcome before they were dashed upon their hidden points, the crashing foam of the waves the same as the foaming rabid gape.

Dårlig Ulv Stranden; a lonely, solitary place. A forgotten beach along the south western coast of Norway, battered by the sea and forgotten by the light. It was on this beach that a fateful farewell had been bidden by two so joined by what they were and yet distanced also. The same way the beach was from its country. A place of darkness in a land of great, natural beauty. A love torn asunder when it should have flown to the heavens on the wings of angels. Even the name, translated from its Nordic form had brought both pain and joy. Pain at what it was, the distance it represented, joy at the fact that like everything in such star crossed lives it fitted perfectly into the picture. Her smile, his eyes, their words. Bad Wolf Bay; the latter no more than an add on but the first, the first meant more than anything. The Bad Wolf, the threat, the promise but above all else, the promise of reunion.

The salt spray whipped up once more, catching in its wind blown clutches the strands of blonde that flew loosely over the high neck of a black leather, biker's jacket. A thin, gloved hand came up to push them down but failed to catch them all. Another more masculine hand reached up, catching the errant strands of gold and securing them delicately behind the ear of their owner. The hand did not withdraw once its task was complete, instead resting on the winter blushed cheek, a thumb tracing the slightly feathered lines at the corner of a deep brown eye, revelling in the indication of her laughter. The smaller gloved hand came up, clasping to its counterpart, holding the gentle touch in place and accompanying it with a smile.

"Seventeen years."

The wind whipped the softly spoken words but he caught them all the same, feeling each one of those years like a beacon of hope in the raging swirl of space and time.

"I know," he said softly, "It feels like it was so long ago, even to me and then…"

"In the same heartbeat no time at all."

"You know me too well," he said, removing his hand from her cheek but pulling her into a loving embrace, "I love you so much Rose."

"I love you too," said Rose, clinging on to the familiar material of his long fawn coat and revelling in the scent of him. She choked on a sob, "Jeez look at me welling up like a kid!"

"Hey, I'm just being all manly and not letting you see mine," came the response, "Can't have the Oncoming Storm crying in the middle of a beach now can we?"

Rose pulled back, regarding the man in her arms and the full force of her love for him hitting her as she did so. Seventeen years ago she had stood on this very beach, so far distanced from him, not having the comfort of his arms as she did now. Seventeen years ago she had been separated from him by an entire universe with no apparent hope of ever seeing him again but then she should have realised he would find a way. Intelligent, resourceful and stubborn as a mule, her Doctor had moved heaven and Earth to find her… well time and space at least.

Not two months after she had said a tearful farewell to him on the cold, Norwegian beach she had heard the familiar sound of the ancient engines she loved dearly echo outside her new father's estate. She had thought it a dream, a fantasy she so often fell to when her heart longed once more for the love it had lost but her dreams she always experienced alone so as her mother, showing the now telltale signs of the pregnancy that had given her eldest something to hope for, ran into her bedroom and cried that she could hear the TARDIS, Rose knew that somewhere her prayers had been heard and answered.

Without hesitation she had run from the house, not caring for the anxious looks from Pete and Mickey as she fled bare foot into the snow. She ignored the biting wind as she searched the land around her for the shimmering outline of the one place she could truly call home. For a moment there was nothing save for the noise she had once heard described as the sound of the universe but then it was there, slowly solidifying into the most familiar shape, its blue casting deep, beautiful shadows on the snowy ground. The sound stopped and she waited, breath caught in her throat like the moment before the drop of a rollercoaster. It seemed that seconds passed to minutes, minutes to hours and even hours to decades and still she waited, poised and coiled, waiting for the creak of the door. The latch clicked, the sound resonating like the crack of the Earth and then the hinges creaked and then she saw him and it was as if she had seen Gabriel rise from the Earth, guiding his Host to the Heavens except this was not Gabriel, this was no angel, he was above, beyond any description even thought of by man.

No halo surrounded him, he needed no crown. No trumpets announced him, he needed no introduction. The silence said it all, here he was, this creature of light and dark in equal measure, this lonely god who traversed the stars but through his eyes another deity was found and he opened his arms in the greatest offering to her.

Rose crossed the short distance with no thought of how, finding herself soon lifted and wrapped in arms she had cried for, longed for, mourned for since that dreadful day. The spell was broken, there was no heavenly light, no image of perfection, just the man she held, the man she loved. He was crying against her and she against him, incoherent sobs of love and loss, names mingling with kisses and professions and promises with a lovers caress. Even when the elation passed and the time came for tales of transdimensional temporal extrapolation and how it could not have been completed without the aid of a banana, the feeling did not pass. Something amazing had happened and Rose was once again whole. Her Doctor was back in her arms.

"Hey, you awake there?"

Rose was pulled from her reverie by the sound of his voice, once again becoming aware of the beach around her, "Yeah," she murmured, nuzzling against him, "Just remembering when you came back to me."

The Doctor smiled and pressed a kiss to her hair, "Quite a day wasn't it? Come on, its bloody freezing out here and I want to change out of this before dinner."

"Can't you stay in them?" whined Rose, patting down the lapels of his pinstripe jacket, "I love the way you look in them."

"But we made a deal Miss Tyler," said the Doctor, "I only wear the 'uniform' on this day and then the day we go back to the TARDIS."

"I can't wait another year!" said Rose as she slipped her arms around him and let him lead her away from the water's edge and up onto the small promenade, "You look so gorgeous in that outfit."

"I look gorgeous in everything," said the Doctor, his hand finding hers and tracing the solitaire diamond ring she wore, "and so do you."

"Smooth talker aren't you?" said Rose, casting another glance back onto the beach. Another year over and the ritual completed once again. The first time she had stepped off the beach she had been alone, thinking the love of her life would never be beside her again but now it was their ritual, every year on the anniversary of their first goodbye they would return to the spot, remembering what had passed. They had never missed it once, even having to travel when Rose was heavily with child, their first born arriving not two hours after their return to England.

Their lives had changed so much since the travelling days they had formerly enjoyed. The time tunnel the Doctor had created to traverse the void had allowed them unlimited access between the two worlds, the TARDIS' power source protected by a new program the Doctor had designed, and they had returned to their travelling barely a day after their reunion but their adventures had been short lived. The Doctor had noticed the change first, the glow Rose had around her but he had not been able to put his finger on why, it was only when he found her crying in their bathroom, a crumpled pink packet in her hand that he hand guessed the truth before him. His yelp of joy had startled her so much that she had almost run from him in fright before he grabbed hold of her and pulled her to his embrace, crying and laughing in equal measure as he begged her to tell him that it was true.

"Rose tell me I'm not dreaming."

"You're not. I'm pregnant, I've done the test twice. I'm having your baby."

"Oh God you…how amazing are you? Look at you, you look amazing. You really are a miracle, all that life inside of you."

"I thought you'd be angry, you didn't want kids."

"Angry? How can I be angry? God Rose I'm gonna be a Daddy, I…oh God I'm going to be a Daddy! Rose we're gonna be parents!"

"I kinda figured that. So you're happy, really happy?"

"I couldn't be happier. I love you so much."

The decision had been made as soon as Rose had confirmed her pregnancy that they would return to the alternate universe to live with Jackie and Pete, the Doctor much to Rose's amazement deciding that he would willingly live a normal life until their child reached eighteen and was ready to join them in the universe. They had returned and both taken jobs at Torchwood, Pete's influence giving the Doctor a believable identity and history. Adric Jackson Tyler was born only two days after the anniversary of their goodbye, named for two friends lost and taking his mother's surname. Despite their engagement the Doctor and Rose had never made their union official, they needed no such confirmation of their love or fidelity. Even now, two days before their son turned sixteen, they remained unmarried but content, Jeanne Antoinette Tyler joining her brother only eighteen months after his birth.

"Do you wanna eat in the normal place tonight?" said the Doctor, "Or should we break with tradition and order room service because I don't know about you but I want to get to the best part of this vacation as quickly as possible."

Rose giggled as he bent his head, his mouth seeking out her neck and nipping gently, "You are insatiable old man," she said, playfully shoving him off as several passing locals shot them a filthy stare, "Will you please contain yourself until we get back to the hotel?"

"I can't keep my hands off you," he said, pulling back and wrapping an arm around her waist and anchoring her to his side, "Can't I show the world how much I love you? Just reminding the local boys that they can't touch."

"I think I've gone beyond an object of desire, darling," she said, a slight frown passing over her face as she looked up at his still youthful features that marked him no older than thirty-five.

"Rose," he said with mock exasperation, "Don't start. You look fabulous."

"I'm old," she said, "Some of us don't have Time Lord genes keeping us unchanged."

"You," he said, pulling them to a closed shop window on the promenade and holding her in front of it, "Are the sexiest thirty-eight year old I know and you'll be the sexiest forty year old and fifty year old and sixty year old…"

"Who'll be all saggy and unable to satisfy you anymore…"

"Rose…"

"Its true," she said, taking in her figure and smiling secretly to herself as it remained fairly unchanged from her youth, perhaps a little fuller but in all the right places, the exercise program both Torchwood and her partner offered keeping her fit, "You'll get bored with me when I'm old."

"Rose Marion Tyler I think you'll find there's much more to me than sex," said the Doctor resting his cheek against her hair and smiling at the picture they created, "Besides, whose to say that I won't have regenerated into something ghastly by then?"

"Never gonna happen," said Rose reaching up to trace his cheek with her hand, "You're the most beautiful boy I know…well maybe second most beautiful but then he does take after his Daddy."

The Doctor smiled, "You miss them?"

"Mmm," said Rose, turning into his shoulder as they continued onwards, "I can't believe how grown up they're both getting, Addy turning sixteen and Jeannie so beautiful. We'll have to tell them soon you know, they're getting curious."

"I know," said the Doctor, "And soon, I promise, I just want them to be ready. Come on, my Daddy's an alien isn't exactly a topic for show and tell. I'm…I'm frightened…how they'll react."

"They'll know you're their Dad," said Rose, "Alien or not that won't change, they already think there's something weird about you anyway. John Smith or The Doctor you're the same man, exactly like when you went from a moody northerner to a southern poppet. It'll take time but they'll get there."

"Southern poppet?" said the Doctor, turning to her a raising an eyebrow, "Slightly too cheeky there Miss Tyler."

"You love it," said Rose, flashing him a familiar smile before taking off along the snowy path before them.

XXXX

The large double bed that took up the majority of the small hotel room protested noisily as the Doctor threw himself down on it, toeing off his black converse and closing his eyes with a contented sigh.

"I don't think I'll ever have to eat again," he said, "I love that place."

"I gathered," said Rose, picking up his discarded shoes and placing them neatly by the cupboard door, next to her own more heavy duty winter boots. She shrugged out of her jacket and hung it inside the typically cheap wardrobe often found in hotel rooms. Despite the wealth of her father and the far beyond modest income both she and the Doctor afforded from Torchwood she still chose to stay in the tiny, three star hotel on the side of the bay. It was the only hotel in the area that gave her a full view of the beach and she always insisted upon it. Her hand rested on the pinstripe suit hanging next to her coat and she paused for a moment to run her fingers over it. She had grown used to the Doctor wearing more every day clothes or the suits he wore for work but above and beyond all else she loved his trademark outfit the best, just one glance of it bringing back so many memories.

She smiled to herself before changing out of the rest of her clothes and into her robe. The Doctor barely flinched as she made her way passed the bed and into the small bathroom. Her nightly ablutions quickly completed she returned to find him in exactly the same position as before, one arm slung beneath his head, eyes lightly closed against the world. Rose flicked off the light, seeing the slight tremor of realisation in his eyelids illuminated by the street lamps outside. She crawled onto the bed and traced her fingers up one strong, athletic leg, enjoying the roughness of the denim against her fingertips. She reached the base of his black shirt and pushed it up to reveal his toned but not overly developed stomach. She watched the faint quirk of a smile on his lips as his body flinched at her cold fingers on his skin, tracing the small rose tattoo that peeked above the waist band of his jeans. She leant down over him and pressed a soft kiss to his stomach, trailing upwards as she worked button after button loose. When the final button was released she kissed a path up to his lips, capturing them fully as she threw a leg over him, straddling him and feeling the already stirring response to her touch. She rocked her hips slightly, smiling at the unguarded moan that came from the man beneath her.

"You're a wicked woman Rose Tyler," came the soft murmur as he bucked up to meet her, smiling at the soft gasp he pulled from her, "God I love it when you sound like that."

"We're just getting started," said Rose, knotting her fingers into his hair as her other hand traced delicate patterns on his chest, "You're so beautiful."

His eyes opened at her final words, his pupils dilated but flecked with gold from the glow of the lamplight outside. He looked almost feral and had she been any less used to him it would have frightened her but she knew that look meant nothing but pleasure at his hands, that look showed her in a second how much he loved and needed her. His arms came around her back, holding her firmly and pulling her closer into a deep kiss. She moaned into his mouth and wriggled as she felt his response between her thighs.

"Eager?" she said softly.

"With you, always," he said, "I want you naked. I…"

He trailed off as the off key strains of Tubular Bells rang out in the silent room. He groaned as Rose froze above him before attempting to move off him. He held her firmly, stilling her protests.

"Ignore it," he pleaded, "Please."

"Its home," she said, extracting herself from his arms and scrambling off the bed, "I can't, it might be important."

"Rose, please," he pleaded, casting an eye down to his own discomfort before shooting her a look that would have melted the hardest of hearts.

"Plenty of cold water in the bathroom," she said with an arch tone as she ferreted through the pockets of her discarded jeans before pulling free the offending phone. She pressed down on the answer key and held the phone to her ear, "Hello…Hey Jeannie what's up?...No we're fine, just got in…watching some telly is all…oh I've got it on quietly, you're Dad's got a head…ache."

"I'll give you headache," muttered the Doctor from the bed, discarding his shirt but staying in his jeans, his former predicament fading with every passing second. He sighed deeply before rolling onto his side and fixing Rose with his gaze, "What's the matter?"

"Is there a reason you called Jeannie? You're Gran won't be happy about the long distance otherwise…oh baby…no its okay…where's your brother?...I'm sure Gran won't mind if you wake her, do you want to speak to your Dad?"

Rose wandered over to the bed, holding a hand over the mouth piece of the phone, "She's had another one of those night terrors," she said, "Addy's out with Dominic and Dad and Mum's asleep, she didn't know who else to talk to. She wants you."

The Doctor frowned and took the phone, becoming once again the caring father rather than the jilted lover, "Jeannie its Daddy," he said softly, "What did you dream about this time?...No, its no bother…Baby nothing can hurt you, you're safe at home with your Gran…we can't hun our flights aren't till tomorrow…Addy'll be home soon, he'll look after you…go wake your Gran…yes we'll stay on the line…"

"She's in a state again," said Rose settling back against the pillows, "Sorry about…well you know…had to answer it."

"Mother's intuition?"

"Something like that," said Rose with a gentle smile, "I'll make it up to you. I'm worried about her Doctor, these nightmares are really getting to her."

The Doctor threw an arm over her shoulders and pulled her close, flicking the phone onto speaker and laying it on the bed beside them, "She'll grow out of it, your Mum said you were the same at that age. Its her age, nothing more, growing up is a pretty scary thing to do and even I don't know how much Gallifreyan they both have in them, it stands to reason though she'll be a lot more sensitive. Plus with Dom off to university they're all being split up, she's bound to feel anxious, she's not losing an uncle, she's losing a best friend."

"I know," said Rose, "I just worry about her."

"Daddy? You there?" came the muffled voice from the phone.

"We're here baby," said the Doctor, not bothering to take the phone of speaker, "Did you wake your Gran?"

"Yeah," said Jean, sheepishly, "She's pretty mad, says she wants to talk to Mum."

"Put her on," Rose groaned, picking up the handset and flicking it back to normal. She held it to her ear and got off the bed, pacing the small expanse of carpet, "You feeling a bit better now Jeannie?...good, well put your Gran on and try to get some sleep…we'll be home tomorrow night…I love you too sweetheart…night baby…Mum, don't go into one until she's out of the room…well what am I meant to do, drive to Oslo in the middle of the night and jump on a zeppelin?…no I know you're not her babysitter but Mum we only do this once a year…what do you mean why?...Mum please, you know what this trip means to us both… Mu…"

Rose was cut off as the Doctor stepped behind her and took the phone out of her hand and held it to his ear, "Jackie could you please just take care of your grandchild for one night?...I know I'm a cheeky git, that's why you love me…no we can't come home any earlier…because this is one night of the year when Rose and I can get away for a bit and be a couple…yes but at home I can't make your daughter scream to the gods of the universe without fear of our children hearing, now please go and comfort that beautiful grandchild of yours like the wonderful mother-in-law you are…night Jackie."

Rose stifled a giggle as the Doctor shut off the phone, turning it off completely and throwing it down onto the dresser. He turned to her with an impish grin that sent shivers to all the right places.

"I can't believe you just spoke to my mother like that," said Rose, "She'll slap you senseless when you get home."

"I don't care," said the Doctor, tugging on the tie of her robe to pull her closer, "Now then love of my life, where were we?"

"Hmm, now there's a question," said Rose, "I suppose we were…"

"Rose," came the warning growl as she was pulled firmly against the hard plains of his chest, "Shut up."

XXXX

The gentle sound of the waves outside made for a soft lullaby as it washed in through the thin glass of the window. Rose dozed against the Doctor's chest, his skin still warm from their exertions and proving a welcome pillow. His fingers in her hair told her he was still awake but that was nothing unusual, when they had lived together on the TARDIS he would often get up and tinker whenever she needed rest and he didn't but since their choice to remain earth bound in the alternative universe he had mostly stayed by her side as she slept, silently casting his mind back over his epic life as he held the light of it secure in his arms. Rose fidgeted slightly against him, tracing the moonlight patterns across his pale skin.

"You still awake?"

"Just about," she said, stifling a yawn before pressing a kiss to his shoulder. She turned up to look at his face and found his eyes almost as heavy as hers, the peace of the small village appealing to his sleep patterns also, "You look tired."

"You've worn me out," he said with a cheeky smile, "Can't keep up with you anymore."

Rose giggled against him but quieted as she saw the look in his eyes, he was questioning himself, "Darling?" she said softly.

"Rose we…"

"What is it? What's wrong?" said Rose pushing up on an elbow to look down on him as he frowned. She reached up a hand and gently smoothed down the worry lines in his brow, "Baby?"

"Nothings wrong," he said with a smile that betrayed more nerves than anything else, "Its just…I was thinking, you know about us, the kids, our life here."

"You want to leave don't you?" said Rose, paling at the thought of ripping there daughter away from Earth before she was even fifteen.

"No!" said the Doctor firmly before his expression softened, "No. We made a pact, not until Adric is seventeen. No I was thinking about us, being a family but my kids don't have the same name as me and now they're growing up, making friends and they're Tylers and I'm not."

"What are you getting at?" said Rose.

"I want to be a Tyler Rose, I'm sick of Doctor John Smith. I want…I want us to get married, properly married. Big dress, big cake, the lot. I want to take your name."

Rose looked down at the hand that rested on his chest, seeing the play of the moonlight on the ring she wore. They had spent years side by side without marriage despite their proposals to one another and everything worked fine. Rose never found any hurt in the Doctor's reluctance to name the day, she put his proposal down to a moment of need after the ordeal their relationship had gone through and she knew a wedding would prove too domestic for him.

"Honey you can change your name legally without us getting married," she said, looking back up to his face.

"Are you turning me down?" said the Doctor, a look of hurt passing over his face.

"You don't do domestic," said Rose softly.

The Doctor's face broke into an amused grin and he reached up to brush her hair back behind her ear, "I have done domestic quite happily for the passed sixteen years. I've lived in a house, with carpets I might add, I've raised a family, taken a job, sweetheart I'm domesticated and getting married won't change that or make me want to leave it all behind. Of course I miss the stars but we'll be out there before too long. I might have complained in the past but now you, Adric and Jean are the most important things to me and I can't have you in my life for as long as I would want so I want to enjoy it now. The stars can wait until there's nothing else left."

"But you…"

"I want this Rose. I've dragged my feet for long enough. You're my partner in everything I do and I love you, God I can't even describe how much. I want you to be my wife, I want to promise you everything in front of everyone we know, I want them all to see that you're mine and I'm yours and nothing in this universe can split that apart. Marry me, please?"

Rose felt the tears well behind her eyes as he spoke and she reached up to push them away, half laughing, half crying as his hand stilled hers against her cheek. He smiled up at her, his eyes still holding his question.

"Please?" he said softly.

"Yes," murmured Rose leaning down to kiss him, "Yes, yes I'll marry you."

"Good," said the Doctor an impish grin passing over his features, "Because I would have looked a right idiot having to ring up the Savoy and telling them to cancel everything."

"Cancel…what?"

"Everything's booked," said the Doctor with a proud smile, "The registrar, the Savoy hotel, the caterers, the band, I've even got the invites printed. All you need to do is find a dress and pick out your bridesmaids."

"You mean you…we…"

"Two months Rose Tyler," said the Doctor, "February fourteenth to be exact, now don't say I'm not romantic!"

"We're getting married on Valentines day?" said Rose unable to contain her smile, "You've been making secret plans for us to get married on Valentine's day?"

The Doctor nodded, laughing at the expression of shock on her face.

"Blimey, I'd better make sure you never get bored because you'd find it too easy to keep an affair a secret."

"Baby," said the Doctor, pulling her tighter against him, "I think the fact that I just asked you to marry me indicates that an affair is completely out of the question. Now come here, I want to live in sin a little bit longer."


	2. Domestic Bliss?

Rose clicked her perfectly polished nails against the metal arm rest of the uncomfortable airport lounge chairs, wriggling as she felt her legs begin to fall asleep beneath her. The Doctor paced beside the luggage conveyer belt, his walk indicating the level of muttering that would currently be going on. They had disembarked at London Heathrow nearly half an hour ago but due to a strike on the part of the baggage handlers they were still airside and waiting for their bags to arrive. It was an end to a thoroughly unpleasant journey. They had woken to find the snow of Dårlig Ulv Stranden had turned to a bitter rain and the walk to the taxi rank that would then take them on to Oslo airport had left them both soaked and miserable. The taxi ride had been long and arduous, resulting in less than pleasant sentiments from both when they arrived to find their airship delayed by two hours due to adverse weather conditions.

Rose looked up at the squeak of converse on polished floor and saw the Doctor's long black coat fan out at his ankles as he turned and resumed his pacing. Despite the removal of his favourite pinstripes he still maintained the same silhouette, neatly tailored trousers and shirt, covered by a long, heavy winter coat. That coat had previously provided a blanket for them both as they waited in grudging impatience for the plane only to be tossed about mercilessly by turbulence when they finally took to the air. Rose could feel where a bruise would soon appear on her wrist from a particularly bad dip they took. Despite the Doctor's keen skills as a TARDIS pilot and his often daredevil exterior his thoughts on air travel human style left him less than happy when a zeppelin chose to misbehave, gripping onto Rose like his life depended upon it. She found the vulnerability comforting.

"About bloody time!"

Her partner's exclamation brought Rose to her feet and she was glad to see both their bags not too far behind the leaders on the belt. She bent down and pulled up her battered red rucksack as he grabbed his khaki shoulder bag, taking her hand as soon as they were sorted and heading towards customs, throwing an icy glare at the steward as he asked if they had anything to declare. Rose found she missed the flash of black leather that had once accompanied the Doctor's 'passport', the psychic paper had long since been abandoned in place of a real passport. Doctor John Smith born 3rd September Nineteen Eighty-Nine, in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, orphaned early and raised by family friends, graduate of Oxford in Astro-Physics and PhD in the same, Head of Techno-advancement at Torchwood One, Canary Wharf, London, father of Adric Jackson Tyler born November 16th 2008 and Jeanne Antoinette Tyler born May 2nd 2010, currently residing at the Tyler Estate, Greenwich, London with partner Rose Tyler and family.

It was hardly a truthful representation of the man who had saved more worlds than anyone could possibly count but it was an alias they lived by and had grown used to over the years. Rose flashed her own passport at the steward before pushing through the crowds into the great halls of Heathrow beyond. She scanned the crowds for her father's presence but couldn't make him out in the throng of people.

"Keep your eyes open for Dad," she said.

A whistle caused them both to turn to see a waving figure beside one of the barriers. In place of Pete Tyler stood a young dark haired man calling out to them, waving enthusiastically. Rose smiled at the happy expression on her brother Dominic's face, despite the age gap they had grown close since his birth, no awkwardness arising from the fact that he was only just over a year older than her own son.

"Yo Sis! John! Over here!"

"What are you doing here?" said Rose as they finally found their way through the crowds to Dominic's side, the boy happily taking Rose's bag from her after embracing both her and the Doctor warmly.

"Dad got tied up at work," said Dominic.

"And…?" said Rose, raising a quizzical eyebrow.

"And he thought maybe I'd like to drive you guys home," said Dominic proudly pulling a set of car keys from his pocket and dangling them in front of Rose's eyes.

"Oh God!" she cried, hugging him tightly, "You passed!"

"With flying colours," said Dominic, "I wanted to surprise you which is why I didn't call."

"We were starting to worry when we didn't hear from you yesterday," said the Doctor, shaking his hand warmly, "Well done mate."

"It was nothing," said Dominic, his brown eyes holding the same teasing gaze his sister had perfected years before, "Dad let me bring the jeep. I wanted to bring your 'vette but Mum wouldn't let me."

"I think I owe your mother a kiss," said the Doctor, "You might have passed your test Dom but you are going nowhere near my baby."

Rose huffed and elbowed the Doctor in the ribs, knowing she was now third in line for his affections, the TARDIS his first love and his vintage red corvette his second, "Enough talk about cars you two. Can we get home? I was hoping to make it back before Jeannie and Addy get back from school."

"Pedal to the metal in that case then…"

"I want to be alive when I get there," said Rose, cuffing him playfully around his ear before following him out of the crowds of the airport.

XXXX

The traffic had proved impossible, London in the alternate universe proving as busy as the London Rose had been ripped from years before. The roads grew quieter as they reached Greenwich, the observatory on the hill a much bigger monument to science in this world and one of the Doctor's favourite places to visit whenever he needed to remind himself of the stars. It wasn't long before Tyler Estate came in sight, lit up like a welcome beacon in the closing night sky. Rose's heart warmed at the sight, despite the fact that this dimension would never truly be hers she had learned to love the sprawling building and all the love it contained, her real mother, the man who was as close to her as a real father could be, her young brother, her infants, her partner. Long gone were the memories of the terrible night with the Cybermen, replaced by the warmth only a family could bring. There had been a little awkwardness at first, between Jackie and Pete, Mickey and them all but Rose had forgotten a lot, the majority of her time when they arrived spent in mourning for the Doctor.

His arrival had proved the one thing to fuse them all so closely together. Jackie and Pete were already lovers but they were more contented seeing their daughter happy once more. Mickey stopped hoping for the impossible recommencement of his relationship with Rose and moved on, staying in touch but living his own life at last and Rose became even more than she had been before, no longer a companion but an absolute equal in everything she and the Doctor did. The house had seen tears, worry when Dominic had been diagnosed at three months with meningitis before the Doctor managed to pluck a cure from the TARDIS med banks to save him, pain when Rose had woken in the night, newly pregnant to find herself bleeding despite both the Doctor and the hospital confirming that both her and her child would be fine. There was joy there too, the coming home of all three Tyler children, the Doctor proving his acting skills in the performances his daughter insisting on devising on cold, rainy days, the Christmas where Mickey came with his new fiancée and finally gave his absolute blessing to the Doctor and Rose.

"Good to be home?" said the Doctor, laying a hand on her shoulder as the car swung into the driveway.

"Always," said Rose, noticing the twitch of the curtains in the lounge room before the light from the hallway spilled out onto the large marble steps of the porch. Her mother was the first outside followed by Pete who still wore his business suit from a day at Torchwood and then finally the two that made Rose's heart light at their appearance. Adric was almost the same height as his father but his hair lighter and less wild, falling into well tamed spikes that seemed to be the fashion for all boys his age at present. His sister was still finding her own look, her long brunette hair almost reaching her waist and flying in the breeze of the evening. Despite both her parents eyes being brown she sported the same penetrating blue gaze of the Doctor's former incarnation and combined with her elegant figure struck and very similar silhouette to her Gallifreyan grandmother.

The car had barely stopped when Rose flung open the door and ran out towards the house, embracing both her children to her as if she had spent two years rather than two days apart from them.

"I've missed you two, how've you been?"

"Fine," said Adric, "Got a massive science project to do though."

"That's your Dad's department," said Rose, looking over he shoulder at the Doctor as he grudgingly accepted an embrace from Jackie, "John, got some work for you."

The Doctor extracted himself from Jackie's grip and hugged his son and daughter warmly, "And what work would this be?"

"Physics project, speed of sound and all that," said Adric, his actions becoming more animated and reminding Rose of a twelve year old Doctor explaining the virtues of time travel to his mother, "Its pretty easy but I thought maybe we could extend it and go for some extra credit."

Rose turned to her daughter as her eldest began to rattle on at ninety miles an hour, a trait definitely earned from his father's side. She stroked back her thick, dark hair and kissed her forehead.

"And what about you baby? No more nightmares."

"I had to sleep in with Addy," said Jean, casting her eyes to the ground, "I'm sorry I called you yesterday Mum, Gran said I should have left you and Dad in peace."

"Hey," said Rose, hugging her again, "You can call us whenever you need us, day or night, you know that. I'm thinking we should get your Dad to have a proper look at you, see if there's nothing else causing these nightmares."

"I don't want to bring everyone down before Addy's birthday."

"You need to think of yourself as well Jean. If you're poorly we want to make you better," said Rose, "Now come on, everyone in the house before we freeze. I'm starving!"

XXXX

The evening passed quietly in the Tyler household. Rose separating her time between catching up on the activities of Torchwood with her father and trying to coax her daughter into talking more about the nightmares she'd been experiencing. The Doctor's full attention was focused on his son's project, Adric being the more scientifically minded of their two children, but Rose knew he would make up the time with Jean once the task was complete. Jackie had made them all a warm and welcome dinner and the fires we're lit throughout the downstairs, giving the house a glow.

Talk soon turned to the party the following night, luckily falling on a Saturday which would allow them all to let their hair down and relax. Rose kept shooting the Doctor knowing looks whenever Adric beamed about how wonderful the party would be and how surprised his friends would be at the amount of food Jackie had been lovingly preparing since the Doctor and Rose had left for Norway two days before. They had decided to keep the announcement of their coming marriage a secret until at the party, surprising their son not only with the highly overpriced VIP tickets they had bought for him to see his favourite band but with the knowledge that his parents would finally take the step they had put off for so long.

"What are you smirking about?" said Jackie, poking her daughter's thigh with the slightly warm end of the fire iron as she stoked the coals.

"Nothing," said Rose, stroking the jet black cat on her knee as it purred softly. Sphinx, as the Doctor had called her when they had picked her out, had been a present for the children four years before but she preferred the quiet sanctuary of Rose's lap rather than the riot of the Doctor and his offspring, "Just happy to be home is all. Can't believe Addy is sixteen tomorrow, doesn't seem a day since he was a baby."

"He's a lovely boy," said Jackie, "And Jeannie is so beautiful."

"She takes so much after Dana, even John thinks so," said Rose, the Doctor's alias falling easily from her tongue despite both her mother and father knowing his true history.

"I wish they could meet her," said Jackie, casting her eyes over the Doctor who was currently engaged in a very rowdy game with his own children and his brother in law, "Does he miss her?"

"He doesn't talk about it," said Rose, "Its hard for him, remembering everyone he's lost. I think its worse with Dana because we know she's alive out there."

"Maybe one day, hey?" said Jackie, turning her attention back to the fire with a sigh. She knew in her heart that it was not long until the day the children were finally told of their true parentage and every mention of 'out there' made her realise how soon their happy picture would come to an end.

Rose knew her mother's mind but said nothing, content to watch the picture before her rather than dwell on the future or get into another argument over the virtues of silence when it came to the Doctor's back ground. She laughed as she saw both Dominic and Adric hold the Doctor in place as Jean smacked him lightly with the pillow, the Doctor protesting through his own laughter. Pete glanced up from the file he was studying as he heard the uproar and a smile quirked the side of his month. During his time with Torchwood he had grown a little harder than the man she had first met when they crossed over into the parallel universe, the threats to Earth in this universe no less dangerous than in the one Rose had left. Still his family brought him the comfort he needed, the reminder that despite the problems both he and Rose faced daily ensuring the security of the Earth there was still a lot of innocence and good faith to be found.

"Ok! Ok! I give in!" cried the Doctor, wriggling out of Adric's grip and holding a hand up in surrender, "Mercy please!"

"Ha! I win!" crowed Jean, placing the pillow back on the couch and shooting her father a cheeky grin.

"Win or not Jeanne Antoinette," said the Doctor warmly, "Its still time for the three of you to hit the hay."

"Aww Daddy!"

"Aww Daddy nothing little miss," he said, smiling as she still came and hugged him, admitting defeat, "Goodnight sweetheart."

The room became a chorus of goodnights as the children headed up to their rooms, the playful bantering continuing until Jackie scolded them for playing on the marble stairs. The house quieted once more, the muffled sounds of children sneaking upstairs soon ceasing as they all gave in to sleep. Jackie was not far behind and Pete soon followed. The only sound in the cavernous living room was the crackle of the fire and the occasional suppressed yawn from Rose.

"Why don't you head up to bed," said the Doctor, reaching down to fuss behind Sphinx's ear as she rubbed up against his legs, "Its going to be a busy day tomorrow."

"Are you not coming?" said Rose, stretching her arms above her head before settling back down against the firm plane of his chest. His fingers instantly went to her hair, fussing the honey strands.

"I need to check on the TARDIS," said the Doctor, "Run a few systems checks…"

"Fiddle you mean," said Rose pushing up to look down on him, "You and that ship of yours."

"Ours, huney," said the Doctor, "Besides, she misses me. She does not like being stuck at the bottom of the garden and being referred to as 'Daddy's weird shed thing'. I won't be long I promise."

"I'll believe that when I see it. Kiss?"

"Of course," said the Doctor leaning up and pressing a kiss firmly against her lips, "Night love."

"Goodnight darling," said Rose softly as she slipped from his embrace and left for the stairs, extinguishing the lights as she left knowing he didn't need them. The Doctor sat for a moment staring into the dancing flames of the fire before getting to his feet and extinguishing them. He shivered as the cold hit him straight away but he soon adjusted to the temperature. He heard Rose's footfalls on the floor above and felt Sphinx rub herself against his trouser leg, her fur springing out with static afterwards and giving her a wonderfully feral look.

"Come on then Sphinxy baby," he said patting his leg in encouragement before walking off towards the kitchen and the back door, "You can come and claw at the supports while I work."

XXXX

The house was silent, peaceful and rested, the only sounds the ticking of the Grandfather clock in the hall and the occasional clang of the pipe work. Rose burrowed a little deeper into the heavy blankets of her large bed, her hand instinctively reaching out to the pillow beside her. Her eyelids fluttered into wakefulness as her hand met with the cold material and not the warm body she expected. She raised herself up slightly and looked down with a frown at the space beside her, the sheets not touched and definitely not slept in. She glanced at the clock on the Doctor's bedside table and her frown grew more concerned, it was gone four in the morning and even though she was used to his late nights in the TARDIS without any children to discover or disturb him he always came back to their bed before four if only to hold her until she woke at seven the next morning.

She began to untangle herself from the bed sheets, concerned that he had maybe fallen asleep in the TARDIS while he was working as he had so often done when they had been travelling. She paused as she heard feet on the landing outside, snuggling back into the pillows. The door handle rattled and then opened.

"Mmm, you're late tonight," she murmured, "Hurry up and get in, I want a cuddle."

The footsteps echoed away down the corridor as silence greeted her and she opened her eyes, peering out into the gloom beyond her now open bedroom door.

"John?" she called softly, "Doctor is that you?"

No one answered her but a faint glow flickered to the right of the door frame. Rose hurried to her feet and pulled a robe tightly around her, blocking out the cold of the house. The floor felt like ice beneath her bare feet but she didn't stop to find her slippers. She made her way to the door, her heart beginning to thump erratically. She stepped over the threshold but was met only by a candle flickering in its holder by the door.

"Strange," she said, picking it up and examining it. It was a replica Georgian design, something that had been in the house's library when she had first come to live here. The candle it held was old and flaky, never being used for illumination in the dusty old room that only the Doctor spent any significant time in. Rose used the light from the candle to scan the landing and the stairs below but could see nothing out of place. She shivered in the cold pondering returning for her slippers but a sudden chill came to her thoughts and she hurried her feet along the panelled corridor. She pushed open the door to her son's room, seeing him poised inelegantly in sleep, knotted into his duvet. She carried on her path, reaching her brother's room and finding him similarly posed, part of her wishing she had a camera with her as she noticed the thin line of drool on his pillow.

Her hand closed on the next door handle and the same chill ran through her blood. She hurried it open and her heart leapt to her throat with such ferocity she thought it would actually escape her. Jean's bed lay empty, the sheets bundled messily on the floor as if tossed aside and the lamp toppled on her bedside table.

"Jeannie!" murmured Rose, taking off back down the corridor and down the stairs to the ground floor, "Jeannie! Jeannie answer me! Where are you?"

"What's all the noise about?" came the sleepy voice from the stairs.

Rose turned to see Jackie, bleary eyed and concerned above her.

"I can't find Jeannie," said Rose, "Mum I can't find her."

Jackie's face wakened instantly, the concern coming to her eyes at Rose's desperate tone, "Go look for her, I'll wake the others. Where's the Doctor?"

"TARDIS I think," said Rose, not caring for the care they always took in not mentioning it by name, "He was working on it, call the TARDIS phone and get him out. I'm going to look for her."

"She can't have got far," said Jackie reassuringly, "She's probably gone to get something to eat in the kitchen."

"Kitchen," said Rose before shooting off in its direction. The room was empty, as were all the others on the ground floor of the house.

Soon the whole house was awake and the Doctor back beside Rose as the search continued to the grounds surrounding the house. Cars and garages were searched from top to bottom, Dominic's music studio turned upside down in a frenzy of panic but nothing could be found of the child. Rose could see the barely concealed panic on the Doctor's face as he took her hand and pulled her to one side.

"I can't feel her," he said in a whisper.

"What?"

"Jeannie, I can't sense her, I can always feel when she's near, she…"

"You're panicking," said Rose, barely holding on to her own calm, "Just calm down, reach out for her, you'll find her."

The Doctor closed his eyes, calming his breathing and reaching out with his mind for the glimmering presence that was his young daughter, "She's faint," he said softly, "Too faint. That way."

Rose paled at the direction he was pointing in, her eyes following his hand to the gardens at the back of the house.

"Oh God! Pond!" she cried before taking off over the frosty grass at a speed she didn't even know she could reach. The Doctor and the others were soon fast on her heels as she ran towards the large ornate pond that graced her parent's back garden. She reached the edge and peered out over the gloomy water, searching for her daughter.

"Jean?! Jean?!" she cried, her own voice echoing back at her in the silence.

"Jeanne Antoinette Tyler answer your mother right now," called the Doctor beside her, "Stop this!"

"Jean!" came the desperate cry to their right followed by the splash of a body hitting the water. They both turned to see Adric struggling through the weed and water towards the floating white mass to the right of the pond, concealed partly by the reeds. A mass of white that looked scarily like a nightdress. The Doctor was not far behind his son into the freezing water, pushing aside the thin crust of ice whenever they encountered it. Adric reached the reeds first, crying out in alarm and anguish as he lifted his sister's face from the water, her cheeks and lips blue with cold. He cradled her awkwardly, shivering himself in both shock and cold, crying. The Doctor took the small body from his arms, hurrying over to the side as he supported Jean with one arm and dragged Adric out with another.

"Take her!" he shouted, handing her over to Pete who pulled her onto the side, immediately reverting to the medical training compulsory at Torchwood.

"Jackie call an ambulance!" he cried before trying to revive his grand-daughter alternating between massaging her chest to breathing into her frozen blue lips, "Come on baby, open your eyes."

Rose looked on in dumb shock as the Doctor heaved Adric out of the water before going to Pete's side, somehow finding the strength and calm to assist him as his daughter remained unmoving and lifeless.

"Mamma?" came Adric's quivering voice at Rose's side, sounding more like he was an infant rather than a teenager. His tone was enough to snap Rose out of her silence and she soon had her dressing gown off and cradled around his shivering body, soothing him as she turned his face away from the sight of his sister as the Doctor and Pete battled to save her life.

"What happened mummy?" he whimpered into the hair at her shoulder, "What happened?"

"I don't know," she said rocking him, "I don't know. I…"

Rose was cut off by a desperate gasp and then a fearfully racking cough as Jean shot up to sitting, her eyes wide and afraid as she coughed up a vile mix of water, dirt and bile. She heard the Doctor sobbing with relief as he rubbed her back gently, easing her coughs before scooping her up into his arms.

"Rose, Addy, everyone into the house," he said firmly, taking charge of the situation as Pete helped Rose and his grandson to their feet, steadying Rose as her legs buckled beneath her. She focused on the sound of the Doctor's voice as he soothed their now crying daughter but for once her sobs brought joy and not pain to Rose's heart. Those sobs, whether from trauma or not, showed the world that she was alive.

XXXX

Rose stood leaning against the antique wood doorframe as she watched the Doctor run the sonic screwdriver over their sleeping daughter. The ambulance had been sent away, the Doctor fearing the tests Jean might endure would reveal too much of her parentage and he had taken her care upon himself. He had stuck to conventional medicines until Dominic and Adric had both been successfully removed from the room and back to sleep but now his Time Lord technology came in to play.

The sonic screwdriver beeped and Rose saw the confusion in her partner's eyes.

"What is it?" she asked coming to his side and peering down at the tiny device in his hand.

The Doctor looked up at her in concern, "Nothing," he said, "Absolutely nothing. Her read outs are completely normal, traces of raised adrenaline but that's to be expected but nothing out of the ordinary, she was just sleep walking."

"Into the pond!" said Rose as quietly as possible even though the panic was apparent in her voice, "You don't just sleep walk into the pond and what about the candle?"

The Doctor reached beneath the pillow and pulled a well thumbed book from underneath it. Rose scanned the cover in confusion.

"What has a copy of Jane Eyre got to do with anything?"

"Read the passage on the page that's marked," said the Doctor.

Rose opened the book and read the page silently, the understanding coming to her eyes, "You mean she…the candle in the hallway was just her dreaming of Bertha Mason trying to burn her husband in his bed?"

"She's been reading it before she goes to sleep for a couple of days now and you know what a vivid imagination she has," said the Doctor, "She had another nightmare Rose, just a nightmare and that's what's so terrifying. If she was ill then maybe I could do something but short from drugging her every night or going into her mind when she's conscious I can't exactly cure nightmares."

"One of us will have to stay with her from now on, keep watch," said Rose coming to sit beside him on the bed and gently stroking the now drying brunette curls on her daughter's head, "And we need to get to the bottom of this. You don't think it's…"

"What?" said the Doctor recognising the familiar look of embarrassed ignorance Rose had often worn whenever she wasn't sure if she was asking the right questions.

"Well we both had nightmares didn't we?" she said tracing the thin scar across his palm and her own where they had both made sacrifices.

"Don't even think it!" said the Doctor, his tone taking on a superior quality she hadn't heard in years, "Firstly we are a universe away from…that thing and secondly my mother wouldn't let it escape. Jeannie is in no way at risk from anything like that. Similarities or not this is just something she has to grow out of. Why don't you get to bed, I'll sit with her till morning."

Rose nodded silently, bending down to press a kiss to her daughter's forehead and then against the Doctor's cheek, "Pray for your people's protection for her," she whispered softly against his ear before leaving the room.

The Doctor gazed down at the girl before him before reaching into his pocket and pulling out a weather-worn stone pendant. Grasping it firmly he let his mind switch to his own tongue and muttered to himself the long forgotten prayers.


	3. Birthday Boy

The morning brought a brighter and more positive aspect to Greenwich. Jean awoke not even remembering her ordeal and though a little weak she seemed none the worse for wear for it. Rose had shot an accusatory look across the breakfast table at the Doctor and he'd merely raised a finger to tap his temple and then distracted everyone present with a raucous, off key rendition of Happy Birthday to his son. Rose knew what that meant, it was not to be spoken of, to be put aside as one of those things and trust that the Doctor had it under control. To think about it would only worry them too much, she was a child who had a nightmare and sleep-walked but she was alive, alive and happy and they should be so also. Despite her worry Rose soon found herself caught up in the festivities and preparations for the party, even laughing at the slightly off taste jokes about trying to steal the limelight that Dominic was playfully directing towards Jean. Jean took them all in good faith, knowing by both her uncle's and her brother's more frequent hugs that she had worried them.

The Doctor had grumbled miserably as Jackie had set him to task in the kitchen rather than allowing him to help with the barbeque and bouncy castle in the back garden that Pete and Dominic we're currently setting up for the party that evening. For some reason Jackie had made the assumption that the Time Lord combined with a large inflatable and hot charcoal would not

conform to health and safety standards. The Doctor had spent the afternoon muttering about the injustices of the universe and how no mother-in-law had the right to tell a Lord of Time what to do and how he could perfectly handle a bouncy castle having defeated the race of imp-like Shazones who only built cities with hot air and plastic and that the explosion he had caused had been intentional if not a little premature and how come pineapple and cheese didn't come already attached to the god damn little sticks.

"You're going to give yourself a hernia if you carry on."

A familiar voice from the door pulled the Doctor from his task and he turned to see the man currently leaning nonchalantly against the door frame. The Doctor beamed at his friend and hastily wiped his hands on a nearby towel before hugging him.

"Mickerty-Mick-Mick-Mickey!" he said fondly, embracing the younger man who now looked far older than him, "How are you?"

"I'm good," said Mickey, pulling back and regarding the mess on the kitchen counter, "Jackie got you doing something useful for once I see."

"Don't," said the Doctor wandering over to the fridge and taking out two cans of beer, tossing one over to his former companion, "Marisa and Charlie not with you?"

Mickey flopped down on one of the nearby chairs and took a grateful sip of his beer, "Marisa is upstairs coo-ing over whatever latest purchases Rose and Jackie have made for the grand occasion and Charlie is currently making eyes at Jeannie in the back garden."

"Of all the things I thought of for my life, your thirteen year old son crushing on my daughter is not something I thought I'd see," said the Doctor, taking the a seat opposite and returning to threading fruit and solidified milk onto skewers, "But then again I didn't see a house, family and job either so I suppose anything's possible."

"Yeah," said Mickey casting a glance out of the window, "Like the weather holding off tonight! Why exactly did Jackie decided to have an outside party in the middle of November?"

"Marquee," said the Doctor, "The Cunningham-Hargreves had one for their grand-daughter's Christening in October so we had to have a bigger one for Adric's coming of age didn't we? Keeping up with the Joneses and all that! You gotta love her Mickey, Jackie certainly likes to make sure the Tylers have the best of everything."

Mickey laughed into his beer at the Doctor's tone, his fondness for the alien having grown over the years since they had come to the alternate dimension, "She's just making the most of things while she can, she's going to miss you when you go."

"I know but we'll visit," said the Doctor, "Same as Rose and I always did before we all came here. I think we'll always be a little more grounded well until…"

"Hey," said Mickey, reaching across the table and covering the Doctor's hand with his own, "Get those thoughts out of your head old man, Rose has got years left and the kids you don't even know how long. Don't dwell on what will happen too far in the future."

The Doctor kept his sombre stare on the cocktail stick in his hand, the wood splintering slightly as his grip tightened on it, "Ads is sixteen today Mickey, sixteen years old and it barely seems five minutes and all I can see is the next sixteen years and the next after that flying by while I stay the same, carry on like this knowing one day they'll…"

"Doctor!" said Mickey firmly before his tone softened, "John, not today. You've got the best future in the world with Rose and the kids. Something's upset you I can tell, what's up?"

"Nothing, I'm just worried about telling Addy and Jean who I am. Its stupid really, they'll be shocked but I'm their Dad, they'll come round." said the Doctor shaking off his dark manner and returning his attention to the food on the table, "Ignore me, I'm being dramatic. You gonna drink that beer or just look at it Mickey the Idiot, if I've got to survive a Tyler birthday I'm not doing it sober and I need a wing man!"

Mickey gave him an unimpressed stare before backing down with a sigh, "Alright, I'll drop it for now but this isn't over," he said before setting himself down to assist the Doctor in the delicate art of cocktail sausages.

XXXX

The sound of laughter echoed into the clear, cold November sky. The majority of the adults invited, mainly Jackie and Pete's friends who were there to be seen rather than see, were huddled around the large lawn heaters Pete had brought in for the occasion sipping expensive French Champagne and discussing any topics fashionable at the moment. Rose was busy bustling in an out of the small pockets of people, ensuring everyone was happy and content while all the time sending death glares over to the large purple inflatable castle and the nine century old alien who had been on it for the passed two hours. She had seen his eyes light up on many occasions throughout their life, racing into an adventure, seeing a plan come to fruition, her returning to him after any time apart, the birth of his two children but Rose never thought she would see the same look of ecstatic joy come to him when he saw the bouncy castle.

"Rose Tyler, mother of three," she muttered to herself, grabbing a glass of champagne from a nearby table and sipping it as she heard the joyous screams coming from around the castle. She could see the game before her, one set of Adric's friends the invaders and Adric, his father, sister and a few other people from his class formed the under siege captives of the castle. She laughed to as one of Adric's friends gave a rather too enthusiastic jump and sent several of his counterparts, including the Doctor, falling onto their backsides on the air cushion.

"You'd think by now he'd have grown up just a little."

"Jake!" cried Rose recognising the Geordie tones and turning to her friend, hugging him tightly, "I thought you couldn't make it."

"I wriggled out of it," said Jake proudly, "Told them seeing as I had actually managed to take down two Weevils single handed in order to protect the Mayor I deserved some time off. Drove down from Cardiff this afternoon."

"The weevil problem there seems to be getting worse," said Rose, her attention immediately turned from the party to her work, "I got a report from Torchwood three the other day asking for a few back up specialists but since our losses at Torchwood two we can't spare you anyone for a few weeks. Is the Rift still stable though?"

"Seems to be," said Jake, "No new readings, trust me, anything and we'd call for John and you. We did have a bit of a scare the other day though, thought the old Cybies had come back to haunt us."

"Cybermen!" cried Rose, throwing her hand over her mouth and looking around her as the groups around her hushed at her outburst. She took Jake's arm and led him into the marquee, dropping her voice to a whisper, "What do you mean Cybermen? Why wasn't I told?"

Jake rolled his eyes dramatically and picked up a mangled looking cocktail sausage, examining it before returning it to its original place, "You weren't told because it was nothing. We had a call saying that there was a Cyberman spotted standing in the Bay so we went down all guns blazing to find some punk teenagers looking decidedly pleased for themselves. Turns out they found the suit in a drainage pipe and decided to see if they could bring us running by setting it up on the beach."

Rose sighed, resisting the urge to laugh as the image of the full force of Torchwood three descending on Cardiff Bay to find nothing but a prank waiting for them came to mind, "At least it was only a prank, god knows what we'd do if they came back. When you get back can you do a tech sweep though, check for anymore hidden suits? I don't want that technology getting out."

"Don't want what technology getting out?"

Rose looked up to see the Doctor entering from the party outside, his face a picture of concern, so different from the carefree expression of moments before.

"Your Dad said he heard you say something about Cybermen."

"We had a run in with a suit the other day in Cardiff," said Jake, "Some kids found it and decided to embarrass us by putting a call out. Rose wants us to double check for anymore hidden suits in the area."

"Is the Rift still stable though?" asked the Doctor.

"Jeez do you two rehearse this or something? Rose just asked me exactly the same thing and again I'll answer the same, the Rift is fine, if its not we'll call," said Jake, wondering how the couple coped living and working together all the time.

"Well I might come up in the week, just in case and have a look," said the Doctor before turning to Rose, "If that's alright boss?"

"I'll authorise it on Monday morning," said Rose before toying thoughtfully with the edge of one of the fine linen table cloths, "Actually, I'll send you up there with a containment vehicle. I want the suit brought to Torchwood one and also the most recent samples of the land around the main Rift fissures, I think we need to study the cybernetic technology in more detail."

"Rose are you…" began Jake but he cut himself off as a regal looking lady of about seventy entered the marquee. Sensing the silence she look up at Rose in slight embarrassment.

"I'm sorry Rose dear am I interrupting?"

"Not at all Lady Cunningham," Rose said with a easy smile, "Please don't mind us."

The older woman entered the room and began to busy herself with the home prepared buffet, commenting here and there on how much work Jackie had put in and how in the old days she never would have thought twice about hiring a caterer but then everyone was so altered since those things came.

Rose turned her attention back to the two men, "We can discuss this Monday. Jake I'll keep you in London with me until you and John are set up to go back to Cardiff," she said, reverting to her partner's public name, "But for now, we have a party to get to and I think its about time for the speeches don't you Doctor Smith?"

"Indeed Miss Tyler," said the Doctor with a knowing smile.

"You two are up to something," said Jake with a quizzical eye.

"Us?" said the Doctor innocently, "Never. Lady Cunningham my dear would you care to accompany me back into the gardens."

Rose giggled to herself as he moved off before taking Jake's offered arm, "Ever the ladies' man," she said as they exited the tent.

XXXX

"…so to cut a long story short I am never changing a nappy again!" said the Doctor, laughing with all the guests assembled at Adric's desperate blush at his father's speech, "But I think I've embarrassed my son for enough this evening though no doubt he has some suitable punishment lined up for me, probably something along the lines of forcing me to listen to that dreadful crash and bang the kids call music these days or is that just 'cause I'm getting old, probably, but I digress. Here's to Adric, may you enjoy your new found sixteen year old-ness and exploit it to its full potential and if you can't be good be careful! Good luck for you're A Levels and thank God you're not driving until next year if your uncle's anything to go by, sorry Dom. So if I could ask you all the raise your glasses to the birthday boy, my son, Adric."

"To Adric!" echoed the gathered crowd erupting into a wave of applause as Adric pulled himself up onto a nearby table and took an over dramatic bow to the cheers of his friends.

Rose let the crowd settle before she began to speak, taking the Doctor's hand in her own and gazing up at him lovingly, "We also have another announcement and it's a bit of a surprise."

"Oh God you're pregnant again aren't you?" came Jackie's squealed response, the alcohol having dulled further her usual inability to keep her opinions to herself.

"No Mum I'm not pregnant!" said Rose with a laugh as several of the older women looked set to faint at the outburst, "No what we have to tell you is something we should have done a long time ago. As you know John and I have been together for almost twenty-one years, give or take a gap or two."

The Doctor squeezed her hand a little tighter as he heard the slight catch in her voice as she thought of their separation. Rose glanced back up again and was rewarded by a familiar cheeky grin before the Doctor raised her hand to his lips and pressed a kiss to the back of it, his eyes urging her to continue.

"We've got two beautiful kids, a wonderful family, great friends but we've recently decided there's something missing so that's why on a recent trip away John decided to inform me that he had booked the Savoy for February fourteenth, for a wedding."

"You're not?!" cried Adric incredulously.

"Yep!" said the Doctor proudly, wrapping an arm around Rose's waist, "I asked your mother to marry me!"

"Oh my God!" cried Jean as she and her brother launched themselves into their parents embrace as the crowds around slowly went from stunned to cheering.

"Can I be a bridesmaid?" asked Jean, hugging her mother tightly.

"You'll be my maid of honour," said Rose pressing a kiss to her forehead, "And John…"

"Ah yes," said the Doctor placing an arm around Adric's shoulders, "I'm gonna need to find myself a best man. Know anyone up to the job Adric?"

Adric looked up at his father in surprise, reading his expression like a book, "You mean you…you want…me?"

"Can't think of anyone else."

"But Dad I…"

"But Dad nothing," said the Doctor, "Will you do it?"

Adric didn't need to answer as he threw his arms around his father's neck, only pulling back as he heard his Grandmother's familiar tones.

"And just how long have you two been planning this?" she demanded standing before them, hands on hips.

The Doctor's hand instinctively raised to his cheek, "Not long," he said, "Couple of weeks although Rose only found out the other day."

"February?!" cried Jackie, "Are you out of your mind? Three months! Only three months to sort everything. People's diaries are filled up at least six in advance and you're giving them only three months notice."

The Doctor's response was cut off as several different off key beeper tones echoed in around the garden. First the Doctor, then Rose, Mickey, Pete and Jake all reached to their sides to retrieve the protesting pagers. The Doctor scanned the message before him.

CODE RED, T3 CARDIFF

"That's definitely not good!" he said.

XXXX

"Do you have everything you need?" said Jackie, hurriedly rummaging through the case on Rose's bed and messing up the contents once more.

"Mum!" complained Rose, straightening the various military issue outfits and several casual items, "I think there are more important things going on here than my wardrobe!"

"But what is going on?" said Jackie, huffing down on the vanity in a pose more suited to her grandchildren.

"You know I can't tell you that," said Rose, shutting the case and hurriedly changing out of her party dress and into jeans and a shirt, not caring for her mother's presence, "Don't give me that face Mum, you know everything surrounding work is confidential."

Jackie looked more distressed by the second as she fidgeted in her seat, "But it must be something major for them to call you all, your Dad as well."

Rose sighed and rested her hands against the top of her case, the adrenaline pumping through her veins and feeling as though as an age and only five minutes had passed since her beeper had gone off. In reality it had been barely forty-five minutes. The members of Torchwood had quickly abandoned the festivities downstairs to congregate in Pete's study, in conference with the head of Torchwood Three in Cardiff, Myfanwy Davies. Their gut fears had been confirmed, Rift activity had increased to alarming levels and readings were proving desperately inconclusive. Nothing had as yet come through but the warning signs were there. The hot spots had been roped off and people evacuated but the Cardiff team was too overstretched and needed reinforcements. Pete had immediately despatched a team of on duty scientists from the London base and now the senior team and Jake waited upon the airship that would take them to Cardiff.

"Mum," said Rose gently, "We knew that something was going to go off at the Rift, that's why we've been monitoring it. They need us there and that's all there is to it. Now the Doctor's telling the kids its just routine so don't go worrying them, as far as they're concerned its just a impromptu meeting about staffing problems."

"You're nervous," said Jackie, "You just called John the Doctor, you never call him that anymore unless you're thinking about something else."

"She also calls me it in bed," came the all too jovial voice at the door but Rose could hear the slight betraying hitch that signified his worry, "You ready to go, the zeppelin's not far off, should be landing any minute."

"Yeah I'm ready," said Rose, "I'll have a team collect the TARDIS from the house if we need it but there's no way we can move it with all the guests here. How did the kids take it?"

"I don't think they bought it," said the Doctor, "But they know not to ask, Addy's disappointed. As for the kids though…"

Rose watched on in surprise as the Doctor went to her bedside table and pulled out the security override key for Torchwood One she kept hidden there before handing it to Jackie. He knelt before the older woman, closing his hands over hers.

"Jackie I want you to keep hold of this and if anything…If we call and tell you to I want you to get yourself, the kids, Dom, Marisa and Charlie and Sphinx into there. Not before we call, not if you hear horror stories of any kind but when I call and tell you, you keep everyone safe, understand?"

"Oh God it is bad!" cried Jackie, tears filling her eyes.

"No," said the Doctor gently, "But…we don't know and I'm not taking the risk with my family's lives, I learned too much last time round. I need you to stay calm Jackie and take care of everyone."

Jackie pulled him into a tight hug, "You take care of each other too and when you get back Jonathan Smith you are going to sit down and look a napkin samples with me."

"Deal," said the Doctor, pulling back and allowing Rose to hug her mother.

"Don't let him do anything stupid," said Jackie, into her daughter's hair.

"I won't," said Rose, as the familiar whirr of the Torchwood Zeppelin echoed over the house, "Now come on, brave face for the guests and all. Let's all get downstairs. You ready Doctor…John?"

The Doctor smiled and picked up her case for her, "All my things are in the hallway. Jake and your Dad are fit to go and Mickey is following up with the security team from Tee One."

"Good. Right, let's say goodbye then shall we?"

XXXX

Jeanne Antoinette Tyler was noted for her slight build which made her look as if she should be as weak as a kitten but the death grip she now had around her mother's shoulders showed the world that appearances could be deceptive.

"Must you go?"

Rose hugged her back equally fiercely, worry growing inside her for her youngest's safety despite assurances from Jackie that she would not be allowed to sleep alone and that the door would remain properly locked, "I have to sweetie, I'm needed but you call me, okay, if you need me, call me."

"I will," said Jean finally releasing her, "Promise you'll come home soon."

"As soon as we can, your Dad and I both."

Jean nodded, seemingly satisfied in part, before swapping places with her brother and enveloping the Doctor in a warm hug. Rose cuddled her son close, realising with some horror that spiky hair required a lot of gel that was now stuck to her fingers as she fussed his tatty head. She put the thought from her mind and pressed a kiss to his cheek.

"You look after your little sister you hear and don't give your Gran any trouble."

"I won't…Mum, is it those Weevil things that are causing this meeting, I read about them on the internet…I know most of the stuff on there is rubbish but it says that a government agency is tracking these things in Cardiff. Is that what it is? Are there aliens on Earth?"

"Adric," said Rose tightening her grip, "You shouldn't believe all you read. We're going to Cardiff because we have to go to Cardiff, I can't tell you anymore."

"But is it aliens? Mum, I don't want you going near aliens not after that ship crashed with those blob things," said Adric, "Aliens are dangerous, they're wrong, they're…"

"Don't say that," said Rose, noticing the Doctor's attention had turned to the conversation, "You don't know what anything thing or anyone will be like until you have met them. Those blobs, as you call them, were not invaders, or hostile, they were lost and afraid. That's why we exist, to help the good and protect from the bad. Trust me, some aliens are wonderful."

The Doctor quirked a quick smile before drawing Rose to his side, "We should get going, they're waiting."

Rose nodded before hugging both her children fiercely one more time, "We both love you so much," she said, choking back the threat of tears before releasing them and turning resolutely towards the extended steps of the airship. As she reached the top she looked back over the large garden with its now abandoned bouncy castle and empty marquee, all the remaining guests gathered to watch the spectacle that was the Torchwood Zeppelin. She gave a brief wave before ducking into the airlock and passing through into the inner rooms of the blimp, the military style control room spanning out before her.

"Right," she said, taking on a tone of command, "Let's see if the guys at Tee Three have earned this month's pay check. Jake I want a comparison done between the recent activity in the Cardiff Rift to the May 2013 activity in South America, the De Janeiro Rift. Cadet Watson, I want reports on any suspicious occurrences on or around the Rift in the last three weeks on my desk in ten minutes. My father is in conference with our counterparts in New York and Canberra so he is not to be disturbed unless necessary, all queries are to go through me. Captain Woolgar what's our estimated time of arrival in Cardiff?"

"With a good wind and no turbulence we should land in Cardiff in around forty five minutes, landing time 23:15," came the Captain's voice from the intercom system that linked the ship to the cockpit.

"Good. Doctor Smith I need you to liaise with Doctor Brightman at Tee Three, get her to send you any technical data and see what you can make of it."

"Ma'am," said the Doctor with a mock salute causing Rose to conceal a smile.

"Right, well get to it. I'll be in my office, someone's got to keep the press off this thing while we work. I want updates every fifteen minutes people, if you don't have anything to do then find something. I want to be completely up to speed before we reach the base."

With one final hidden glance Rose left the Doctor's side and wandered through the room to her office beyond, making sure Rose Tyler, mother and partner was left firmly at the door and that Rose Tyler, head of Public and Extraterrestrial Relations and First Contact was in place.

XXXX

The rooms in the Torchwood Three hubs had been designed for practicality rather than comfort but with all the equipment spread out around them the walls seemed far smaller than usual and gave Rose the impression of a high tech labour camp rather than a multi-million pound scientific compound. Rose, flopped her head back on the pillows of her bunk, placing the papers in her hand on the nearby shelf.

"Anything?" she said, rolling to hang over the edge and stare into the bunk below.

The Doctor sat cross legged on the mattress, a laptop across his knees and his glasses perched on his nose. His hair was attempting to defy gravity where he had absently fiddled with it in his musings and Rose couldn't help but think of Doctor Brown in the Back to the Future films from her old universe. She felt a familiar twinge of sadness as she thought of her own world, the Michael J. Fox of this universe had become a US senator at twenty-five and President at twenty-eight, she had received some funny looks when she'd laughed out loud upon hearing the stories of him at a party.

The Doctor continued to click away at the keyboard, his eyes intent on the screen and clearly not having registered a sound from her. He reached a hand up and wrapped a few strands of his hair around a finger, leaving himself with a curl laying over his forehead. Rose reached down and straightened it, the movement catching his attention. The Doctor looked up at her and then bent his neck to hang more upside down.

"I thought it was only your mother who hung upside down at night," he said with a familiar cheeky grin.

Rose gave him a gentle shove before pulling herself back upright so that she could climb down the ground level. She settled next to him on the mattress and stared at the screen, his text swimming in confusion before her. Despite his skill with all languages the Doctor seemed to prefer working through any problems in his native script.

"You getting anywhere?" she asked as he rubbed his hands over his eyes, pushing his glasses up into his hair.

"Not really no," he said, "A lot of readings, a lot of important readings but nothing conclusive. Pretty much is all its saying is yes the Rift is acting up but the more interesting data seems to be coming from off world, up in Space. I'll keep going until I find something though, what about you?"

"Usual stuff," said Rose, resting against his shoulder, "Most of the reports are from the usual crack pots insisting that there are little green men living in there toilet bowls, a few Weevil reports and a few I want to look more into but nothing conclusive. Dad paged an hour ago to say that they've stepped down to a Code Amber."

"Amber," murmured the Doctor with a laugh, "I love humans."

Rose rolled her eyes before focusing on the swirling patterns before her, "Yeah I know, stupid apes. Red Alert, Amber Alert all very camp! Yet somehow I think if I suggest the implementation of Mauve Alert, Cyan Alert and Gold Alert we'd probably get a few more looks than if we stay with what works."

The Doctor rested his head against hers, snaking an arm around her waist, "Seems all a bit anti-climatic now doesn't it," he said, "Seems a lot of worry for not a lot. Tee Three have been jumpy for a while now, perhaps you should rethink command here, Myfanwy's sweet but she can't control the team."

"She's reassigning to New York in six months," said Rose feeling her eyelids grow heavy as he traced a delicate pattern at her waist, "Then I'll make sure Jake moves up accordingly, meantime we just need to keep them on a close rein."

"Well you're the boss," said the Doctor looking down at her, "Why don't you get some kip? I'll wake you if anything changes."

"Can't," said Rose, "I'm too worried about Jeannie, I wish we hadn't had to leave her like that."

"Adric has us on speed dial if anything happens. Trust me, she'll be fine but you won't be unless you rest, you…Rose…" the Doctor trailed off as he looked down at the woman in his arms, her eyes firmly closed in sleep, "For someone who couldn't sleep you're doing a bloody good impression."

He leant down and pressed a kiss to her forehead, contenting himself with having to work with one arm snared by his sleeping partner.

"Whatever am I going to do with you?" he said softly before returning his attention to the screen, a tiny blip of energy catching his attention as it surged in this graph, "Now that's a bit more like it."


	4. The Chances Of Anything Coming From Mars...

Rose woke to find herself cold and alone on the hard mattress of the bunk. She shivered, pulling the long black coat that had been laid over her like a blanket tighter around her and snuggling into the familiar scent that lingered on the fabric. She knew she had to get up, one stealthily opened eye had revealed the charming hour of six in the morning on the small digital clock at her side and she knew she had work to do. The lack of the Doctor's presence didn't alarm her at all, she knew from the second they had arrived that he would not sleep that night and that once she had fallen to slumber he would move off to one of the workstations in the main area and begin trawling through the information to give them a head start in the morning. Despite his former protestations that he would never become domestic Rose knew that in his way he enjoyed his work, saving the planet he had adopted as his own and helping her rise to her full potential. His selfless attitude had been proven the day she had been promoted ahead of him, he had known how hard she'd worked for it.

Stretching, she sat up, groping around for a jumper to throw over her cami-top before stumbling to the bathroom in the hope that a shower would wake her more fully for the day. She heard the familiar whoosh of the front door as it opened and peered round the door, toothbrush stuck firmly to her teeth. The Doctor looked up and gave her an incredulous look.

"Rabies!" he said pointing.

"Good Morning to you too!" muttered Rose with barely disguised humour as she tried to talk around a mouthful of foam. She returned to the bathroom, finishing at the sink before peeling off her nightclothes, not caring that the door was still open, "Any news?"

"The Rift's calmed down," said the Doctor from the bedroom, "Your Dad's decided to stand down the troops, sent some of the scientists back down to London but they're on standby. Mickey is coming up though, gonna help Jake with some sweeps."

"Well hopefully this'll just be a blip and we can get back home soon," said Rose, turning on the shower and testing the water.

"I think it might be a little more than a blip," said the Doctor, "I found an anomaly on one of the astro-scans last night but I can't work out what it is. Its not a ship, its not a comet, its not anything we can identify but its coming towards us, slowly."

"Where from?" said Rose, turning to him with a smile as she realised he was leaning in the doorway watching her, "Hey! No free shows!"

He merely smirked as she stepped under the spray, ignoring him as he sat down on the edge of the separate bath, "Believe it or not its coming from Mars and before you start, as I've already had the conversation with Mickey, its not Sycorax… or Martians for that matter."

"Wasn't even going to suggest it," said Rose, peering round the curtain, "So come on then genius, what do you think it is?"

"No idea," said the Doctor, "Which is why I had Pete send a team for the TARDIS last night, should be here in about an hour or so and then I'm going up there."

"We're going up there," said Rose, "Head of alien liaisons remember? Regardless whether we're going in the TARDIS or not we do need to keep some protocol!"

Rose heard the rustle of cloth and looked round the curtain once again to see the Doctor already holding a towel out for her. She smiled before turning back to the shower and rinsing out her hair. She switched off the water and pulled back the curtain, stepping into the offered towel and not minding the arms that joined it around her.

"Protocol is a filthy word," said the Doctor, "And my ship doesn't like it. Also, if I remember rightly, Boss, you may reign supreme in the human jurisdiction of Torchwood but the TARDIS is now the one and only Embassy for Gallifrey and therefore I am Lord and Master therein! Which means, if you're to come on board I want you to wear those gorgeously tight combats I know you packed so that I can have a wonderful view all day."

"Pervert!"

"It only took you twenty years to realise?" said the Doctor, pressing a kiss to her cheek before pulling back from her, changing once more into his professional persona, "I've gotta get back and run some tests, see you in the hub in fifteen?"

"Sure," Rose called after him as he left the bathroom and the main door swished open and closed once again. Rose finished drying herself and wandered into the bedroom, rifling through her case until she came across a pair of black combats that sat notoriously low on her hips and fit as close as a second skin, "If my Lord commands it."

XXXX

"Security Space clear of all unauthorised personnel."

The oddly sensual voice of the central computer confirmed that all those not required had cleared the small storage space that contained the TARDIS and the few necessary people who knew the Doctor's true heritage. The Blue Box stood silently, dominating the room and almost crackling with anticipation, Rose was sure the ship missed travelling as much as her crew did. Pete lay a hand on the box, still slightly hesitant of its power and the alien connection it presented. Torchwood kept its secrets well both internally and externally. Jake and Mickey were the only other two in the organisation to know who the Doctor truly was. The TARDIS was considered by everyone else to be some sort of portable laboratory for the notoriously eccentric Doctor Smith and they often paid no mind to it when it showed up on occasion.

"I've arranged for the relay to come to my room only," said Pete, "I'll be the only one who knows you're up there and you need to be careful because there won't be a chance to scramble anyone quick enough to help you."

"We'll be fine," said the Doctor, fidgeting with the key in his hand, impatient to fly his wonderful ship once again, "As soon as we ascertain what it is we'll come back."

"No heroics," said Pete, "I want you both back in one piece."

"We'll be fine Dad," said Rose, unable to tear her eyes from the Doctor, thinking how odd he looked about to board the TARDIS in Khaki trousers and a sergeant striped jacket, "The TARDIS'll look after us."

Pete nodded, seemingly satisfied and patted the side of the ship, "Off you go then," he said, "How long until you reach the anomaly?"

"Five minutes," said the Doctor, "The TARDIS hasn't had a run for a while so the dematerialisation process may take a little longer."

"Well hail me when you arrive, I'll let you know when to transmit the data," said Pete, "I'm on line…"

"Gemini, binary nine," said Rose, "We know Dad. Right, see you in a little while. Doctor?"

"Ready when you are," said the Doctor sliding the key home and opening the doors.

The cavernous room brightened as they stepped over the threshold, the soothing green light flickering in welcome over the bronze walls and coral like supports. Rose felt a little tingle up her spine at the spatial displacement as she crossed the doorway and reached out to the nearest support, letting the vibrations of the ship travel into her through her fingertips. The console gave several beeps of welcome, all the buttons and gadgets lighting up and flashing. It felt to Rose almost as if the ship itself had settled her arms around her in a hug to welcome her home.

"Missed you old girl," said Rose, leaning her head on the support and watching the Doctor as he began an all too familiar dance around the console. She knew that all the whirling and twisting was just for show, travelling in the TARDIS with Dana had shown her that but it still brought a comforting familiarity to her, memories of youth, of a man in black leather with the manic grin she had fallen in love with years ago. She looked up as she felt his gaze on her and smiled.

The Doctor extended his hand to her and she climbed the ramp to his side, slipping her hand into his, feeling the roughness of his skin from years of working beneath the often punishing console. He smiled down at her, a now uncommon look of pure excitement lighting his deep brown eyes. She knew the sacrifice he made for her, albeit willingly, but it was moments like this he revelled in, when he was once again no more and no less than the Doctor and she was Rose, his companion by his side, the universal constant.

"Rose," he murmured, her name coming from his lips in a way she couldn't remember hearing in years, in a way that made her whole body tense in anticipation.

"Doctor," she mimicked, loving the sound of his name, pure and simple on her lips, "My Doctor."

She licked her lips in anticipation as he bent towards her, a slight smirk gracing his features as he noticed his effect on her. He bypassed her lips and held his mouth close to her ear, allowing his breath to dance warmly across her flesh until she shuddered.

"Rose," he said again, his lips curving into an almost feral smile, "Run!"

Rose felt the smile spread across her face as he pulled back from her and returned to the console, once again beginning the dance he had perfected in nine hundred years. She joined him, taking her traditional place at the console and gripping on to the metal supports as the ship lurched and grumbled, the central column working up and down with its customary rasp. Her boots echoed on the ancient grating as she struggled to keep her feet, her eyes trained on the Doctor as he piloted the ship. She cried out in excitement as they hit a pocket of atmosphere before the materialisation began.

"Here it comes!" cried the Doctor, coming to her side and holding onto her with one arm while the other gripped the console. His arm tightened as the ship took one final lurch, sending them both flying down to the grating and landing them in a familiar knot of limbs, giggling manically as the adrenaline pushed to the surface. She felt his fingers flex against her palm and turned her head to look at him, seeing the smile on his face.

"My girls," he said, laying his free hand down against the grating.

Rose smiled, rolling on to her side and placing her hand over his, feeling the vibrations that flowed through him to her, "Soon," she said, "Soon we'll all be here. I love you."

"Quite right too," he said, bringing a smile to Rose's lips and a tear to her eye.

"I'll never forgive you for that," she said as he pulled her up to her feet.

"Yes you will," he said placing a chaste kiss on her lips before changing gear like the wind once more, "Come on, work to do."

Rose turned to the console and stared at the monitor as a space-scape of Mars came up before them, the planet just to the right of the screen allowing them to see the haze of atmosphere along with any small items of space debris in its orbit. The planet loomed in its menacing red glory but Rose could see nothing out of the ordinary on the screen.

"What exactly am I looking for?" she asked as the Doctor tapped away at the console.

"Not sure," he said as a schematic of the planet's orbit came up at the corner of the screen, "but if my calculations are correct and you know how brilliant they always are we should be able to see whatever it is right about…now."

Rose continued to stare at the blank screen and then up at her partner.

"Sometimes life just loses all its drama," sighed the Doctor once again tapping away at the console, "One digit out! Damn, right now look at the screen."

Rose looked at the planet and saw something sleek and grey begin to slowly inch round in orbit. She watched it for a few more moments until she recognized what it was, "A spaceship," she said, "But why didn't it register on the scans?"

"Good question. I'm going to open a channel to your Dad," said the Doctor fiddling with another part of the console. The familiar static of subspace echoed over the speakers before it tuned it and Pete's voice echoed in the control room.

"Doctor? Rose? Is everything alright?"

"Fine," said Rose, "But odd. We've found our energy source, it's a ship of some kind, we've yet to identify its origin. Strange thing is why it didn't register on our scans. The Doctor is running some checks now."

Information began to filter onto the screen but Rose could make head nor tail of it as the Doctor's intricate script danced before her. She felt a hip nudge her to one side and watched her partner's face as it went from confused to surprised to an expression she couldn't recognise.

"That's impossible," he said, tapping away at the keypad, "The power signature on the ship, no wonder we couldn't pick it up. Its not of this universe, its…no…its from our universe, our original universe, the power signature is exact but that means…Pete we've got a problem! There must be a dimensional rip between the universes other than my time tunnel, I'd know if anything came through there."

"What ship is it Doctor? Is it a threat?" came Pete's voice.

"Its got limited power but I don't recognise the design, I wouldn't say it was a threat though, it doesn't appear hostile. I'll run a scan, check for life signs, perhaps that will help us identify it. Rose hit that green button on your left for me."

Rose did as she was told and the console gave a little whirr before beginning to beep erratically, shaking the floor beneath their feet, "What's wrong with her?" said Rose.

The Doctor ignored her as he pressed button after button on the console, refusing to believe whatever was before his eyes on the screen. Pete's voice echoed out, demanding to be told what was going on but the Doctor reached out a flipped off the comm, concentrating on the information filtering into the ship.

"We have to dock," he said, moving around the console, shifting Rose gently out of his path. Rose allowed him to work, knowing whatever had him agitated and taking command would be important. She heard the familiar hum and click as the TARDIS docked with the stricken ship, the doors opening of their own accord. Rose looked beyond the doors and saw the charred interior of the ship's corridor beyond, blackened by scorch marks that seemed to seep through the hull as if the ship had passed through a sun.

The Doctor came beside her and she felt him place a small oxygen canister in her hand.

"We could run out of air pretty quick in there and be prepared, this might not be pretty," he said.

"Doctor, what's going on?" asked Rose, noticing the med kit he always kept stashed beneath the console in his hand.

He laced his fingers with hers, "Just stay close," he said softly, "And prepare yourself."

Rose fell silent as he led her out of the sanctuary of the TARDIS and into the ship's corridor. The acrid stench of burnt metal assaulted her senses along with the distinct odour of scorched flesh, a smell Rose longed to never encounter again. She moved herself a little closer to the Doctor's side, despising the silence of the long, dark passage. They reached a heavy door at the end and the Doctor removed his hand from hers and pulled the sonic screwdriver from his pocket. The little device spluttered into life and the lock on the door sprang free. With one more solemn look at the woman beside him the Doctor lifted the handle and pulled the door sideways along its runners. Rose looked up into the control deck of the ship and only took a moment to register the body slumped in the captain's chair. She rushed over, instinct taking over, and immediately lifted the slumped body to sitting. She paused as she took in the face before her.

She stepped back, her hand over her mouth covering what she wasn't sure was a scream or a sob. She reached out a tentative hand and let her fingers run through the familiar dark hair. She knelt down before the body and rested her other hand against its cheek.

"Oh God!" she murmured, "Jack. Doctor its Jack!"

"I know," said the Doctor, "Well the TARDIS knew, she recognised him."

"Off all the people in…Jack, Jack open your eyes darling its us," she said, laying a hand on the American's shoulder, "Its Rose, Jack, and the Doctor too. Come on, open your eyes."

"Rose," said the Doctor, taking her hand and removing it from Jack's shoulder, "He's pretty beat up, his body has made him unconscious for a reason. We need to see if he's fit enough to move to the TARDIS infirmary. I know its hard but you have to…we have to push our feelings down and help him first."

Rose nodded as the Doctor knelt beside her, running the sonic screwdriver over the man before them and cataloguing his injuries. The read outs bought a white pallor more and more to Rose's cheeks as the list grew. The Doctor began patching up various injuries as best he could with the scant medical supplies he could find before instructing Rose to return to the TARDIS and retrieve a stretcher from the med-suite. Rose did as she was told but not before reopening the channel to her father and informing him that they had found a non-hostile casualty and would be staying in the air a while longer. Pete agreed and told them to hurry home as soon as they could.

Rose was sure the ex-time agent had never weighed this much when they had known him before but then she never remembered having to lug his lifeless body along a long space corridor to a waiting TARDIS. The TARDIS however was feeling co-operative, her love for Jack apparent in the desperate beeps that echoed as he passed, warping the corridors to bring the med-suite closer to them. They heaved him up onto the bed, gently slipping the stretcher from beneath him. The Doctor set about methodically removing the blast battered overall he wore to get to the injuries it covered. Rose felt her heart sink as the extent of his injuries was revealed to her in red and black across his skin. She held a hand over her mouth, swallowing down the rising bile in her throat.

"Go!" murmured the Doctor, his voice containing his barely contained grief, "I can do this without you, you don't need to see this."

"I'm not leaving," said Rose resolutely, "He needs me, you need me, you…oh God, he won't even know its you. He won't recognise you and me, I'm so much older."

Rose watched on with no jealousy as the Doctor lovingly smoothed back the other man's hair, they had always held such a strong affection for one another even if the old Doctor's guarded attitude didn't allow people to see it as openly as he showed his emotions now.

"He's barely aged a day," said the Doctor, "Who knows how soon after…then he ended up here. You're right, you should stay. He's more likely to remember you, you've not altered greatly since we last saw him, me, well…"

"Hey," said Rose laying a hand over his, "He'll know its you, I did in the end."

"I didn't leave you behind," said the Doctor, a single tear glistening in his eye.

Rose gave his fingers a brief squeeze before looking back down at their patient, "We can worry about that later."

XXXX

The heart monitor kept an easy rhythm in the otherwise silent room, the assault of disinfectant and cleanliness as harsh on the senses as any hospital in the universe, another constant Rose imagined. The crisp white sheets did nothing to contrast with Jack's pale complexion as he lay, still unconscious in the bed. Rose sat by his side, her hand wrapped firmly around his as she maintained an unwavering vigil. The Doctor had gone to examine the ship and its most recent recordings, hoping to make something of Jack's mysterious appearance in their new universe. Rose had seen the look on his face, she knew it all too well and remembered it from when Gallifrey had haunted him. He barely wore it now but it was a plain as ever when he looked down on the American. No one had ever defined the relationship they had all had together, Rose and the Doctor hadn't been a couple then although their love was as strong but then there was Jack. Ambiguous was an understatement when it came to his particulars of romance but threat was never a word applied from either the Doctor or Rose. He was just Jack and even now, years on when the love between his two former friends had grown and blossomed and here he was bloodied and bruised and awakening long forgotten feelings in them both, the thought of him being a threat to them never came to their minds. He was Jack and they loved him.

"Hey sweetheart, any change?"

Rose turned to look up at the figure in the doorway and shook her head, leaning into the comforting touch as the Doctor came over and lay a hand on her shoulder. The Doctor leaned over her slightly to check the monitor and the IV line going into the back of Jack's hand, the skin angry and red from a blast burn and several attempts to find a suitable vein where the thin metal needle penetrated his skin.

"He's stable at least," said the Doctor, "You should go and get some rest, I've told your Dad not to expect us back tonight now. I don't want to land until he's conscious."

"Have you called the kids?" said Rose.

"No, I…I don't know if I could keep things together you know…speaking to them, Jeannie with all that empathy she'd send me right off," said the Doctor hanging his head, "I asked your Dad to tell them we were alright though, I'll make it up to them when we get back but just so you rest peacefully, Jeannie is sleeping in with Adric and she had no nightmares last night."

Rose nodded, content that their children would understand the necessary burden of their work if they never fully understood the extent of it. Suddenly the call of her bed was very appealing, her vigil having stretched for nearly nine hours without a break. She rolled her shoulders, feeling the prod of worn fingers gently easing the tension from her neck.

"Will you sit with him?" she asked, "And wake me if he wakes up?"

"I will," said the Doctor stepping back to allow her to stand before pressing a kiss to her forehead, "I got our old room ready for you."

"Thanks," said Rose hugging him briefly before lightly cupping his cheek, "Hey, he'll be alright baby, you'll see, our Jack's a fighter isn't he?"

The Doctor nodded before pressing a kiss once more to her lips and ushering her from the room, taking her seat at their friend's side. Taking his hand he decided perhaps he's best get the Time Agent used to his voice.

"Well then you, absent from me for almost nineteen years, well actually its more like fifty by my reckoning but we don't tell Rose how much longer I spent my side of the void before I found her again, she'd only get upset. I've got a lot to tell you, changed a bit as you can see…"

XXXX

Morning, or as close to morning as it was possible to get when orbiting Mars in a two thousand year old time ship, bought little change to Jack's condition and Rose had once again begun her vigil but this time with the Doctor by her side, trying to work out why the healing time agent did not wake. The Doctor paced the stark white flooring, his heavy military boots clanging mercilessly creating an offbeat waltz with the monitor. Thump, thump, beep, thump, thump, beep. Rose couldn't help but think how much it reminded her of how his heart beats alongside a human's.

"You're making me dizzy," she said, not taking her eyes off their patient.

"Sorry," mumbled the Doctor as he sat on the high backed stool that stood at one of the workbenches and proceeded to tap an equally annoying rhythm with the toe of his shoe against the metal leg.

"Doc…" Rose was cut off by a groan from the bed. The Doctor hurried to her side as they both looked down at Jack, seeing his eyes struggling to open. Rose took his hand, gently rubbing it between her two.

"Jack," she said, "Jack darling you're safe, you're with us now, Rose and the Doctor. Its us Jack you found us."

"Ro…Rose," came the strained mutter, "Doc…"

"We're here Jack, a little different but we're here, just take your time," said Rose, realising how reluctant the Doctor was to speak with the fear of confusing the injured man.

Jack's eyes fluttered before finally opening and taking in the faces above him, the room he was in, "Rose?" he said, the confusion evident in his voice.

"Its me," she said, "Its me Jack I'm just a little bit older."

"Rose," he said a smile coming to his face, "Rose."

"I'm here Jack, you're safe, you're on the TARDIS."

"TARDIS," said Jack, "The Doctor, where's the Doctor.?"

Rose looked behind her to see the Doctor contemplating whether to speak or not, she beat him to it, "Jack I wanna tell you a story ok? About the Doctor? Something happened on Satellite Five, we'll tell you what when you're stronger but the Doctor was hurt, badly and he had to regenerate to save his own life. He…changed Jack…changed his face, his body everything but he's still the same man you understand?"

"No, what do you mean? Where's the Doctor? I gotta find the Doctor," said Jack, the panic evident in his voice.

"I'm right here Jack," said the Doctor laying his hand over Rose's, "I look different but I'm the Doctor."

"No, you're…regeneration, that's a myth," said Jack, seemingly becoming a lot more alert, "but you…Rose…is it him Rose, really?"

Rose nodded warmly, "He's our Doctor Jack, a little older, a little wiser but our Doctor none-the-less. You found us Jack."

"I found you," he echoed quietly before his face broke into a grin, "I found you!"

Rose leant down and hugged him tightly as the Doctor closed the time agent's hand in one of his own. For several moments they stayed as close together as possible before Rose drew back up to sitting, noticing the puzzled expression on Jack's face.

"I found you," he said, "but I can't remember what I wanted to tell you."


	5. Meet The Tylers

Many hours had passed since Jack had woken and stories had been told and retold, actions explained, forgiveness given. Jack had begun, telling them how he had returned to Earth after the Dalek invasion and helped them rebuild. He had soon grown weary of the work though and waited everyday for the Doctor and Rose to return to him but when they did not he resolved to search for them, stealing a time ship from a time agent who had once led a plot to have one of Jack's teams disbanded mid mission and feeling no remorse in doing so. He had traversed the galaxy, sometimes picking up on their trail but always arriving a heart beat too late to find them until one day he had landed in the carnage that was once London, when the Cybermen, as they were later named officially and an army of Daleks suddenly disappeared. Jack had known in his hearts that the Doctor had had a hand in the victory and he decide then to go to Jackie's flat in South London to ask if she knew where he could find them.

He had waited for days at the flat before he realised that no one was coming home and he had wondered whether she had joined the Doctor as one of the crew or whether she had been one of the many victims of the battle. The trail of the TARDIS seemed to stop at that point and the Doctor had confessed that for a while he had stopped beside the supernova that he had used to say farewell to Rose rather than continuing on his travels. Jack's story then ran dry, not remembering what had happened after he had left the Tyler flat until he had woken in the TARDIS med-suite.

The Doctor and Rose had told their story also, to an incredulous Jack who refused to believe that they had admitted their feelings and had a family. It was only when Rose produced two pictures from her pocket that he had finally agreed to believe the Doctor had been domesticated. The news of their forth-coming marriage however through him totally for a loop.

"You mean the great Oncoming Storm is going to admit to being a hen pecked husband?"

"Seems so," said the Doctor, greatly relieved that Jack had easily accepted his new form with Rose's assurances of its truth, "Although I think I was hen pecked long before I even first proposed to her."

"I've never been anything but nice to you," said Rose who was still firmly planted on the bed next to her friend, "You'd be surprised though Jack, Mum even managed to teach him how to wash up and I mean properly wash up, gloves and all."

"Please tell me you have photos," said the American.

"Framed one on the hallway wall."

"Alright, alright, Doctor bashing to one side," said the Doctor good naturedly, loving the easy banter they had all fallen back into, "I'd forgotten what a bad influence you were on her. I'm so glad you're back Jack and hopefully your memories will return in time but before then I think we'd best get back to Torchwood."

"Torchwood!" cried Jack, "But those are the bastards who…"

"The bastards that we're head of," said Rose, "Different universe. We run it, well my Dad does with us alongside and it's a completely different organisation to the one on our Earth…that day."

Jack saw the slight glimmer of a tear in Rose's eye and reached out to take her hand, "I didn't mean to upset you."

"You haven't" said Rose stroking the back of his hand as she felt the Doctor's warm palm settle on her shoulder, "Memories is all, losing this one was pretty hard to take, we thought we…"

"Sweetheart," said the Doctor softly leaning down to place a kiss on the top of her head, "No tears now, it was years ago."

"Sorry," said Rose, "I'm sorry Jack you must think I'm such a cry baby. Its just with you back, so much could have been different but now you're here and the three of us are together again and…oh I don't know. I'm so happy. Now let's get you to Earth and stand down our people. You've got a couple of little Tyler's who have been in need of an uncle Jack for years."

Jack's smile brightened, "Uncle Jack? I like that. Hopefully I'll remember how I got here before I see them and be able to explain to them how wonderfully talented I am, flying through the very fabric of space and time."

The Doctor looked down at Rose as she bit her lip in apprehension, "Jack," he said softly, "Even if you do remember you can't tell the children, we'll have to think of a history for you before we get back to London."

"Why?" said Jack, looking in confusion between his two friends.

"The kids don't know who the Doctor really is," said Rose, "They think he's human, we didn't want to tell them of their true heritage until they were old enough to understand. To them the Doctor is just John Smith, Oxford Grad and Torchwood Doctor, nothing more, nothing less so having a friend who they've only heard of in passing now and then telling them how he flew through a rip space and time might confuse them slightly."

Jack looked incredulous at the man he remembered being so desperate to always distance himself from the Earthlings he seemed to always bond with, "You mean your kids don't know that you're a Time Lord?"

"No and until Adric is seventeen they won't know," said the Doctor, "Even in my eyes I barely see myself under that title anymore. I retired the day my son was born."

"But you…"

"I have a few years with the most precious people in my existence," said the Doctor squeezing Rose's shoulder, "The children are only half Gallifreyan and may not have the abilities my people have, for all we know they may only have one lifetime and I refuse to put them through any tests to ascertain otherwise. Their childhood is precious and I want to enjoy it. I have years to run for my life when…"

"When nothing," said Rose, softly getting to her feet and pressing a kiss to his cheek, "You help Jack get ready, I'm going to contact Dad."

The two men were silent as Rose left the room to contact her father back on earth. The Doctor kept his eyes trained to the floor as her footfalls disappeared down the corridor. He heard the bed behind him shift as Jack sat himself up straighter.

"Why?"

The mono-syllabic question ran through the Doctor's mind like ice. He took a deep breath but didn't turn to look at the man behind him.

"I lost you, on Satellite Five," said the Doctor, "I left you behind despite knowing you were alive because I was frightened of what might happen to the Time line if I went back. I regenerated, scared Rose to death almost but she accepted me and we travelled. We fell in love…no we admitted we were in love, I think I loved her from…I don't even know when but each and every adventure got more and more dangerous, more and more risk to us. Then we met my Mother, the story takes too long to tell but we met the Mother who I thought I'd lost at twelve years old and I realised just how much I had missed without her. We carried on, Rose and I but then…that day happened. I lost her, I lost everything. Rose doesn't know, it was only two months for her but for me thirty years passed before I found her again. She hadn't changed but I knew the second I saw her that for me the universe had been so much dimmer. She wouldn't hear of not travelling and soon we were back in the TARDIS, side by side as we should be but I kept looking over my shoulder the whole time. When she fell pregnant I knew she wouldn't risk the child with our life and I could see her safely home. I didn't want kids but I wanted her safe and if a child was the way to do that then so be it."

"You mean you only told her to keep the baby because you wanted to stop Rose from getting hurt?" said Jack, the bed shifting again under his weight as he knelt up and laid a warm hand on the Doctor's shoulder.

"It started out that way," said the Doctor, looking down at his shoes, "But then things changed. I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful than Rose back then, its clichéd I know but she blossomed. When Adric was born and the midwife laid him in my arms, oh God Jack, it had been centuries since my children were born, years since I'd lost them all but then here was this tiny creature that needed me, that ordered me to protect him and his mother. I couldn't abandon them like I had you, I couldn't lose them like I had Rose. When they're old enough its their right to decide what to do but now I'm going to protect my family as much as I can because I've done so poorly at it before."

"Jesus Doc!" murmured Jack, tugging firmly on the Doctor's shoulder and turning him into a hug, "I never would have thought of you as a family man."

The Doctor hugged Jack back a little tighter, "So many things can change," said the Doctor, "So many surprises, like you back again. If Rose and I had kept travelling this might never have happened and I'm so glad it did. Now come on, can't have you meeting the family half dressed. I'll fetch some of your old clothes from your room."

"You kept everything?" said Jack as the Doctor pulled back and made for the door.

"I always do."

XXXX

The findings of the Doctor and Rose were kept top secret by Pete Tyler once he had seen the mysterious Jack Harkness and the reason for the Rift activity had been explained. He had tried at first to be the angered head of a multi-national corporation but the smiles on his daughter's and the Doctor's faces had rendered him unable to reprimand the young American any further. Orders were given out to stand down from duty and Torchwood went back to its daily business. Rose even managing to fulfil her objective of bringing the Cyberman suit back to Torchwood One. The zeppelin was a less frenzied ride back, the pilot the only member on board not immediate family. Mickey had greeted Jack warmly, much more pleased to see the American this time around and spent little time in going into the stories of his adventures with the Doctor and Rose.

The subject of Reinette had raised the necessary eyebrows, it being the first time Pete had even heard the tale but Rose and the Doctor had exchanged a glance across the room that had let the entire company know that it had been a bridge crossed long ago. Without the frantic bustle of the red alert the flight back to Greenwich seemed slow and Rose felt the pull of her home even stronger than before. When the pilot announced there was still twenty minutes until expected landing she had silently risen from her chair and entered the TARDIS unseen, glad they had chosen to bring it home in the Zeppelin rather than have it delivered by Torchwood's couriers.

It didn't take her long to reach her destination inside the great ship, the TARDIS knowing where she wanted to be and warping the corridors accordingly. She pushed open the door to her old bedroom, finding it as she had left it many years before, the magic of the TARDIS on full display. She sat down on the bed and reached into the drawer of the bedside table, pulling free a well thumbed photo album. It was one of the only things she hadn't brought into the house from the TARDIS when they had made it their permanent home, she had thought explaining the pictures would prove too much for her children. She opened the cover and stared down at the first picture, smiling at the familiar face that stared up at her. She trailed a finger lightly over to the picture, tracing the tall thin, figure clad in black. She had long since passed her mourning of the Doctor in his old form but she knew the second she saw Jack she'd need to see the striking figure of the man she had fallen for so many years before.

She turned the pages slowly, revealing pictures of them together, apart, on adventures, in the TARDIS, each on stirring a tiny memory that made her smile and her heart flutter a little harder in her chest. She reached the one she knew she had been aiming for, the last in the book, a third figure joined their pair. The picture had been taken a week after Jack had arrived in the TARDIS and they had persuaded the Doctor to take them to a planet notorious for its beaches. The heat had caused both Rose and Jack to strip down to bathers but the Doctor had only opted to exchange his trademark jacket and jumper for a thin, blue shirt that Rose had almost gasped at the sight of, the colour bringing out his deeply, haunting eyes. They had stayed on the beach for hours, for once not running for their lives and Rose could have sworn she could never be so happy again, experience had taught her otherwise but the fond memory remained.

Jack had been fascinated by the old fashioned camera, one of the Doctor's many wonderful antiques and upon discovery of the timer had insisted on taking picture of the three of them. They had turned out ridiculous all apart from one when the camera had malfunctioned and begun taking shot after shot of them. The photo in her hand showed them post pose, Rose stood between the two men, he back pressed to Jack's chest as she leant against him, his hands about her waist as he laughed. Rose herself was looking up at the Doctor, her arms raised slightly for a hug as his hands covered Jack's at her waist as he smiled down at her so carefree and happy he barely looked like the nine hundred year old Time Lord with the weight of the universe upon him.

Her attention was pulled from the image as she heard the sound of a door close down the corridor. She could imagine the scene outside, the Doctor hunting for her probably to tell her they would soon be landing. She hurriedly closed the book and returned it to the drawer. She left the room and stepped into the corridor, squinting in the light as it seemed dimmer than she remembered on entering.

"Doctor?" she called, "Are we landing?"

No voice echoed back to her and she frowned. The sound of footsteps down the corridor echoed back at her and she made off down the corridor, calling out for him all the way along. He never answered but the footfalls continued and she continued to follow. The path led further and further into the ship, the corridors growing more and more Gothic. Rose recognized the path and frowned, a thin trail of sweat running down her spine as she felt a panic begin to grip her. She turned a corner and gasped as she saw the Cloister Room door ajar. They had locked it tightly nearly eighteen years before and it hadn't been opened since, the Doctor the only one with the key to the padlock. A shiver ran through her as she raised a hand a pushed the heavy door open, causing it to creak on its millennia old hinges. The room beyond was dark but not so much that she couldn't make out the figure kneeling by the open abyss where the eye of harmony once rested.

"Oh God!" she murmured, the sound loud enough to cause the figure to raise his head, that familiar manic grin and oversized ears greeting her warmly as he smiled.

"Rose!" he said but the voice was without his accent, replaced by something more familiar, known for longer, "Rose."

"Doctor?"

"Rose open your eyes."

"My eyes are open. Doctor how are you here?"

"Rose, wake up Rose, we're landing."

"Landing where? The TARDIS is in the zeppelin?"

"The zeppelin's landing," said the Doctor before his image grew fuzzy causing Rose to blink, screwing up her eyes before forcing them open once more only to look up into the face of her oldest and dearest friend.

"Mickey?" she said, confusion lighting her features, "But?"

"You were dreaming," said Mickey softly, helping her to sit up as she became aware of her old bedroom around her, "and I don't think the Doctor would be too impressed that you thought I was him. What were you doing in here?"

Rose picked up the discarded photo album off the bed and closed it once more, "Just looking at some old pictures, having Jack back brought back some memories," she said, placing the album back in the cabinet, "Must have dozed off."

"Well you've been gone nearly fifteen minutes, we were worried for a minute but then we all assumed you were in here. The Doctor's playing catch up with Jack Flash so I came to get you."

Rose got to her feet and followed her friend from the room, shifting a glance to the left down the corridor, "You go on ahead Mickey," she said, "I just want to check something."

Mickey looked down at her concerned, "You alright Rose?" he said.

"Yeah, just have a few things to check, the TARDIS has been neglected for so long, want her to feel loved for a little longer. Tell the Doctor I'll be out in a second."

Mickey nodded and then bounded off down the corridor, still a spring in his step despite his age. Rose waited until his echoing footfalls had died away and turned deeper into the ship, winding her way through the corridors until she reached the door to the Cloister Room. She ran a hand over the heavy padlock and chain before giving them a firm tug. The door groaned under the pressure but did not open. She laid an ear against the wood but no sound greeted her save for her own ragged breathing.

"Idiot," she hissed to herself, pushing back from the door and starting back down the corridor, cursing her over active imagination.

XXXX

"So we were college buddies at Oxford?" said Jack, adjusting the seat belt that was pressing him into his still aching shoulder, "And I was studying physics with you?"

"Yep, we met in Freshers week and were friends from there on in, you introduced me to Rose but after we'd been together a while you decided to go and travel the world, eventually losing contact with us. We met you again when you spotted me in Cardiff yesterday and you've decided you can't wait to meet my children."

"Well at least that bit I'm not lying about," said Jack, still unable to take his eyes off the Doctor's new form.

Rose noticed the American's expression and smiled, "You do get used to him," she said softly, "Took me a while at first too."

"You talk about me as if I was a new wallpaper design," said the Doctor, feeling the zeppelin judder around him as the landing began and resisting the urge to reach out and grab Rose's hand, "Liked me in the shop but not so sure when I'm on the walls."

"Still as sarcastic," said Jack, fondly, "Don't you miss the old you though?"

"I'm still me, Jack," said the Doctor, "And now I'm on number ten I've kinda got used to the regeneration thing."

"How many do you get?" said Jack, "Do you just keep regenerating forever?"

"Thirteen," said the Doctor, "Thirteen times then its curtains, thank the heavens, much as nearly a thousand years has been fun I do not want to be knocking around space for all eternity, it'd get a bit like London then, you'll have seen all the good bits and be bored with having to visit the Tower again."

"He still talks in riddles too," said Rose, prying the Doctor's gripping fingers from the arm rest before lacing them with her own, "Hold on tight, the engines just hitched for landing."

The large zeppelin glided to landing as smoothly as possible, only giving the one customary bump as it touched down and the whirr of the lading claw echoed around them. The Doctor was unbuckled and out of his seat in a second, glad to be out of the air.

"Right then, we need to get the TARDIS into the drop shaft to get it outside, Mickey can you give me a hand, Jack's not up to it right now."

"Sure thing," said the younger man, pleased in some way to be put ahead of the infamous Jack Harkness.

"Rose how about you go and introduce Jack to the kids. I'll meet you down there."

"Okay," said Rose slipping her arm around Jack's waist as he struggled a little with standing, "You alright to get down the stairs?"

"I'll be fine," said Jack, "Can't have your kids thinking I'm a wimp now can we?"

Rose led her friend to the ramp and gently guided him down the stairs, her grip firm at his waist part in support and part in reassurance at the whirlwind she was sure the American was experiencing, not a day ago he had been alone, wounded and friendless and now he was reunited with the people he had been searching for for years. Rose knew the feeling, she had been reeling for weeks after the Doctor's return. She saw several familiar figures congregating at the back door of the house, her brother noticeably missing and probably not as cunning as to be able to talk his way out of college as Rose's two obviously had, and turned Jack's attention to them. She gave the children a wave and they waved back cautiously, realising the man their mother was wrapped around was not their father.

Rose heard the familiar hiss of the drop shaft descending and knew the Doctor would take a few minutes to set the TARDIS back in its customary place in the garden. The decision had been made that Mickey and Pete would return to Torchwood with the zeppelin and ensure the Cyberman suit was properly installed and secured. They finally reached terra firma and Rose gave a brief salute to the main control deck to let the pilot know he was alright to raise the ramp. The whirr started up behind them as they crossed the lawn to the people waiting for them.

Jackie's eyes widened in surprise as she recognised the man beside her daughter, "I don't believe it! You…how on Earth?"

"Its good to see you too Jackie," said Jack taking her into a warm embrace.

"But they…you…oh I don't care how you did it, you're here!" said Jackie, cuddling him like he was one of her grandchildren, "And just as handsome as I remember you."

Jack's witty retort was cut short as Rose lay a hand on his shoulder, turning him towards the children.

"Addy, Jean I want you to meet Jack, he's a friend of your Dad's from Oxford," she said.

Adric shook Jack's hand warmly, his smile and enthusiasm so clearly that of the Doctor's that Jack had to smile at the similarity. It was only when he turned to Jean and looked at her properly for the first time that his expression changed.

"Nice to meet you Jack," said Jean extending her hand. Jack hesitated a moment before taking it, merely holding it rather than shaking it.

"You too Jean."

"Are you alright?"

"Yeah you just…you remind me a lot…of your Dad, I think."

Jean smiled politely, not in the least surprised by Jack's look, a life time of the Doctor's quirks having steadied her well, "I'm told I look a lot like my gran…my Dad's Mum, perhaps you saw the pictures before the fire."

"Fire?" said Jack.

Rose took his arm, her grip telling him to step away from any questioning, "John lost all his family photos in a fire just after he left Oxford, you would have been travelling by then though," she said, her hand giving a brief squeeze in promise of further explanation when they were alone.

The conversation was cut short as the Doctor came bounding over with his usual excited air, "Everyone getting on ok?"

"Perfectly," said Jackie, "Now then, let's get inside and get the kettle on. Someone promised me he'd look at napkin samples."

"I've just remembered I've…"

"Jonathan Smith!" came Jackie's response, forcing Jack to suppress a laugh as the Doctor noticeably cringed, "March yourself inside that house right now and do what you're told for once."

"See what you've got to come son," said the Doctor, stepping obediently over the threshold, his family and its newest addition trailing behind.

"You always tell me to do what Gran tells me so why should you get away with not doing the same," said Adric, an eyebrow raised in defiance against his father.

"He gets the cheek from Rose," said the Doctor turning to Jack.

"I'm sure he does," said Jack as Rose turned off into the kitchen with a hurried laugh and an announcement that she would make tea. Jack stood in the corridor for a moment, watching the Doctor and his family wandering towards the living room, engrossed in a conversation of how the Doctor was the king of cheeky. He tried to picture the Doctor he had known in the same scene and failed, not even able to fathom him so openly loving and comfortable in such a domestic surrounding. His thoughts fell once more onto Jean and the endless blue pools of her eyes. Something stirred in his mind, such familiarity, even her voice had a quality that all at once seemed warm and familiar.

The clink of mugs from the room next to him pulled him from his reverie and he turned on his heel and entered the elegant country kitchen, watching Rose as she busied herself by the kettle.

"They're great kids," he said, "You can certainly tell who Addy's father is."

"They're the image of each other," said Rose, "In all ways I suppose, Addy's very scientific, into everything and so bright."

"And Jean?"

"Jean's more like…Jean really. She's definitely as bright as her brother but she doesn't have his application, she's more into poetry and books and drawing, pastimes her father is quite happy to coach her in although her art certainly has more care and mastery than his."

"I bet there's a lot of you in there too," said Jack, sitting down on one of the nearby chairs.

"Well the Doctor did once call me jeopardy friendly and I think Jean inherited a bit of that, they're their father's children though. Jean even reminds me…"

"What?" said Jack, recognising the tone in Rose's voice as one that often touched his, "She's a lot like he used to be, isn't she?"

Rose turned to him with a small smile, "It's a quirk of the regeneration process, its common for children from one form to have the characteristics of another or so the Doctor tells me."

"Do you miss him?" asked Jack, worried he was probing a little too deeply.

Rose closed her eyes for a second, leaning back against the counter as the kettle began to sing, "I did at first but then I fell even more in love with the man he became. There's a little part of me though that always remembers what he was, who he was but he's wonderful as he is now and when you get to know him better you'll realise he's still exactly the same man, just a little more open."

Jack watched Rose's face form into a bright smile, clearly warmed by some memory as the kettle sang away softly to itself behind her, billowing steam wrapping delicate tendrils round her hair, "You gonna pour those drinks?" he asked.

"If you're going to help me," she said extending her hand for him to take.

Jack got to his feet and took her offered hand, holding it firmly against his heart as he leaned down to press a kiss to her forehead, "You know what?" he murmured softly, "I'm dying of jealousy."

"You had your chance with me Harkness and you pushed me into his arms," said Rose playfully.

"Oh I'm not jealous about that," said Jack with a familiar cheeky grin, "I'm jealous that you're banging the hottest guy I've ever seen."

Rose looked at him with barely disguised mirth, "For that Captain Harkness I'll make you sit next to my mother at dinner."

"You know no mercy," said Jack as he enveloped her in a warm hug.


	6. In Memoriam

Several weeks had passed since Jack had arrived and he was now as welcome and loved as any other member of the Tyler family. He had even learned how to keep in time with the concealment of the Doctor's identity and had great fun inventing various horror stories of the Doctor's college misdemeanours. Christmas was fast approaching and the house was its usual bustle of festive activity, the tree had been chosen and placed in its customary position in the grand front room, decorated elegantly with glass baubles and fine silk ribbons, a far cry from a Christmas on the Powell Estate with plastic and tinsel the only decorations. Presents gradually built up around its base, the myth of Father Christmas long since abandoned in favour of teasing wrappings that were forbidden until Christmas morning.

Jack had yet to regain any memories and was too frightened of what may have happened to render him unable to remember that he forbad the Doctor to try to help him through any Time Lord means. His lack of memory did not stifle his enthusiasm for the season or his incessant insistence that he wanted to join the ranks of Torchwood as soon as the Doctor deemed him fit for any form of work, the injuries he had sustained still causing him problems as he refused to give himself proper time to heal. Still he put his good humour and wit to good use, encouraging the children into mischief and helping them with their various projects and assignments. Rose and the Doctor were quite contented with their newest addition to the family, glad that the picture they had both often imagined was as good as they had dreamed.

Despite the festivities the ever present job of parenting, especially their almost nightly vigils over Jean, and of policing alien activity on Earth was always calling and Rose and the Doctor often had to abandon the joyous banter of Greenwich in favour of the cold, steely offices of Torchwood One. Despite the air conditioning, fully funded gym and gourmet canteen Rose would rather be any place than her top floor office, up to her eyes in various files sent by the other branches for her perusal. She leaned back in her chair and rubbed her neck, glancing over at the clock and groaning when it only read just passed lunch. She moved around some of the files on her large ornate desk, almost jostling out of place the delicate Bonsai tree Mickey had given her for her last birthday. She steadied the little plant, blushing as she realised she was talking to it as she had her children when they had scraped their knees as infants. Slightly more carefully she began to arrange the files into piles for her subordinates, for technology, for medical, for her father until finally she was left with several more interesting looking cases.

She smiled as she saw familiar handwriting adorning a note pinned to the cover of a fairly hefty looking file. There was a small dried flower pinned next to it, a perfect dwarf daffodil, symbolic of where the file had come from. She loosened the little flower and added it to her collection, pressed between the glass desk top and the wood beneath in a collage of brilliant yellow. She took the note and read it.

Interesting one for you here boss considering the Rift activity and everything you know about 'home'. Probably came through about the same time as our Fine Specimen.

Rose laughed to herself, 'fine specimen' was the term those in the know had labelled Jack with to avoid detection by the lower members of staff. Rose's curiosity was piqued, home meant her own universe, from beyond the Rift. She read on, intrigued.

I've run the file and tests twice but can make nothing of it save for what I know from you and senior management. I've labelled everything classified and my team know not to mention the particulars. The body has been sent under secure cover to your morgue at T1 and it has instructions that it be opened by you alone. I'm sorry if what you'll see is a little close to the bone for you and yours but I though it best you see. Call me if you need anything. Jake. T3.

Rose's brow furrowed in confusion at the almost riddle like note. It wasn't uncommon for the notes sent between the more senior members of staff to be cryptic and only obvious to those they were intended for but Jake's note stumped even her. She opened the file hurriedly, flicking through the usual jargon about locations and weather conditions. She quickly found the autopsy report and opened it, wincing at the body laid out in the pictures before her. She had seen enough aliens laid open in files, anything that crashed and died before any attempt could be made at rescue was given a dignified autopsy to discover more and perhaps assist in future accidents. Rose was baffled however by the picture before her as she seemed to be no more than a young human woman, her blonde hair bloodied the same way any humans would be if they had sustained such injuries as those on her form. Her left arm was almost amputated and Rose could see the slices that indicated where clearly a piece of sheet metal had entered her torso and right leg, she was a mess.

The photos was steadily more gruesome but not as clear as she would have liked. She turned to the autopsy report. The first few paragraphs had been typed neatly on the general autopsy report that stated the girl had been found in a craft of unknown origin in some woods just outside of Cardiff and that she was dead upon arrival at the Torchwood hub, body temperature and blood loss suggesting death on impact. The next part however had been labelled classified and sealed in an enveloped solely for Rose's attention. She opened it and was shocked to find Jake's hand writing once again before her. Jake only took over autopsies under her command but she had not authorised anything of the nature. Her hand reached to the phone but she snatched it back, returning her attention to the file. The words all seemed to blur but five stood out as clear as day.

The casualty has two hearts.

Rose hurriedly gathered up the file, stuffing various sheets she had displaced back into the manilla folds. Grabbing her pass she looped the chain around her neck and hurried to the door. Her PA looked up alarmed at her frantic pace.

"Is everything alright Miss Tyler?" she said.

Rose turned to look at the young woman, barely out of school and already phenomenal at her job, hired by Rose as a personal assistant but also assisting the criminology team who specialized in alien centric crime. She was wonderfully attentive to Rose's ever erratic state of mind when dealing with unexpected situations.

"Its fine Sarah," said Rose offering the girl a small smile, "But please will you page Doctor Smith to the morgue on my secure line. Strictly confidential and all."

"Consider it done," said Sarah turning back to her computer and typing in the necessary details without a second thought or question, discretion Rose valued highly.

"And can you go up to Mr Tyler and tell him that I'll contact him soon with a report, tell him I've no other information to give him yet. After that you can get down to criminology for the rest of the day, if I need you I'll call."

"Thank you Miss Tyler."

"Oh and Sarah?"

"Yes Miss Tyler."

"Its Rose ok?"

"Thank you Rose."

Rose gave her assistant a brief nod before hurrying back through the doors and off through the clinical corridors of Canary Wharf. Her heels clicked mercilessly on the floor and her pace was slowed by the light. She jumped into and empty lift and pressed the button for the basement, counting down the floors as the world seemed to rush up into her stomach at the descent. She thumbed through the file once more, awkwardly juggling the loose pages.

The casualty has two hearts.

The casualty has two hearts.

The words repeated in her head like a mantra. She had made studies on every species she could possibly know of with the help of the Doctor and the binary-vascular system he had was, in humanoid form at least, limited to only two species, Gallifreyans and another species she couldn't remember the name of but she knew they had a red hue to their skin that would have stood out in the photos. Of course neither she or the Doctor knew whether there was a species unique to their new universe that would display the same characteristics but the statistics were not in their favour. That meant either they had a Gallifreyan body in their morgue either from Gallifrey herself or her mirror planet in this world, although the Doctor himself had declared that an impossibility, Gallifrey had existed outside of Time and Space. The other option chilled Rose to the bone. The Doctor's people regenerated, Time Lord or not and the only other Gallifreyan alive in the universe they had left behind was…

Rose lost her morbid train of thought as the lift announced that she had reached the basement floor. The doors opened and she closed the file before stepping out. Several people, doctors and scientists were busy at desks, making notes on the cases they had just examined. She passed them all without a second glance, her presence wasn't wholly unusual in the dreary catacombs that made up the Torchwood One Alien Morgue. Upon reaching the desk the receptionist she knew in passing as Nicholas looked up and gave her a knowing smile.

"Here for your present from Tee Three Miss Tyler?"

"You are well aware that is classified information," she said, straightening her jacket and standing a little straighter, "Where is it?"

"Room One," said Nicholas, twiddling a pen between his fingers.

"Right, Doctor Smith shall be down in a few moments to join me. He and only he you are to let into the room after me, no sight seers, no personnel, not even Mr Tyler without my clearance."

"Yes Ma'am," said the receptionist as he hand Rose a swipe card for the door. Rose took it, checking the number and frowning as she handed it back.

"That trick worked once, I'm not going to fall for it again," she said, checking the number on the new swipe he gave her and finding it the right one. She left the desk and followed the closed off corridor, going through several secure doors before reaching the room. She contemplated waiting outside for the Doctor but she swiped the card through the reader and hurried inside. Hearing the familiar swish click of the lock. She walked over to the security camera in the corner of the room and pulled out the connector cable, leaving no one the ability to look in on them. She studiously avoided the slab and its bagged body as she moved over to the computer console and cancelled the microphones in the room, the override protested but several new security pathways ensured it was off.

Her eyes turned to the slab and the grey body bag that lay upon it. She hesitantly made her way over and fingered the zip, willing her nerves back before tugging it downwards. The preservation solutions Torchwood Three had administered had stopped any smell of decomposition but the sight still made Rose retch. Before her lay the small, fragile body of a girl who looked no more than sixteen years old. Her blonde hair was matted about her head, clumped with dried blood and what looked like engine oil. Rose tore her eyes away from the serenely sleeping face and looked down at the ragged body it was attached to. Her shoulder was almost completely severed, held in place only by several surgical staples inserted for her travel to Torchwood One. Her chest was sewn back up as they always were after autopsies, the stitches large and black, easily cut if necessary.

Rose placed a hand over her mouth and quickly zipped up the bag, choking on a sob as she hurriedly sat down on one of the nearby metal stools. The silence and coldness of the room hit her and she longed for the bustle of the upstairs offices, the secretaries chatting by the water cooler and the photocopier whirring as it buckled under the strain of so many files. She wrung her hands in front of her, trying not to fear the worse but feeling the pain in her heart all the same. If that was Dana on the slab then why hadn't see regenerated before she died, and why was she in their universe anyway.

The faint echo of shoes on the polished floor outside signified the Doctor's arrival and the beep and swish of the door soon punctuated the deafening silence. Dressed in black suit trousers, a blue shirt and white lab coat, his glasses pushed back into his hair, the Doctor looked every inch the scientist as he stepped into the room, letting the door close behind him.

"I got your page, you…Rose what's the matter? You look dreadful."

The Doctor hurried to her side and took her hand in his, his expression frantic as he took in her pale skin and tear filled eyes. Rose bit her lip against the sob that wanted to break loose and shook back the tears from her eyes.

"I got a file from Jake," she said, nodding to where it lay on the desk behind her, "And he sent down a body. They found the casualty in a space craft outside of Cardiff and the time of impact matches a period of increased Rift activity. The report says the casualty died on impact and the usual autopsy protocols took over until they opened her up. Jake took over, hand wrote the file and labelled it for me and you alone. Doctor, she's humanoid and she had two hearts."

"What?" said the Doctor, "There must be some mistake, the only planet…"

"See for yourself," said Rose, pointing to the autopsy table and its concealed body.

The Doctor turned to the slab and lowered the zip, wincing as Rose had done at the carnage before him. He wheeled over a small surgical table, laden with all sorts of gruesome gadgets Rose didn't want to even bear the thought of. He traced the girl's face with his finger tips, pressing at the temples slightly and frowning. Rose watched on as he lifted a scalpel from the tray and began to gently cut through the thick black stitches. The girl's chest gave an unholy creak, the sternum not fused back together and the Doctor had little trouble setting it open when he had finished with the stitches. Rose averted her eyes as he peered down into the chest cavity, using several different surgical tools to manipulate the sight before him. Rose heard the familiar buzz of the sonic screwdriver and the Doctor's mumbling as he worked.

"She's Gallifreyan," he said incredulously, "No doubt about it, one hundred percent genuine Gallifreyan and yet, she's so quiet."

"Quiet?" said Rose, "Doctor she's dead."

"And for several months after the death of a Gallifreyan the mind still gives off slight impulses that I should be able to detect but she's utterly silent, nothing whatsoever but she's been dead no more than four days and that's another strange thing, by the looks of things she's barely a child and only on her first life so why didn't she regenerate," said the Doctor, falling into his usual fast paced rambling.

"First life? Thank God," said Rose, feeling her heart lift slightly at his words.

"Why?" said the Doctor looking over his shoulder at her.

"Well when I saw her and read the report I thought…no its silly."

"You thought it was my mother didn't you?" said the Doctor turning to her fully this time, "Oh Rose, my Mum…you heard what she said, she can't leave the Idralas."

"Don't say that word," said Rose with a shudder, "I just thought seeing as you and her are the only two who we know to be in existence that the most likely explanation was that it was her. I'm just relieved it isn't but why didn't you know this girl was alive?"

The Doctor shrugged, "I'd need to do some more tests to be sure but she's probably a hybrid, like Addy and Jean but she got a lot more of the Gallifreyan parent DNA than she did from her other parent."

Rose frowned, "I wish you wouldn't call Addy and Jean that."

"What?"

"Hybrids."

The Doctor suppressed a grin, "You know most of the time I do call them our children but for the sake of science they were purely an example," he said watching Rose try to keep her face straight but soon failing and giving him a small smile, "That's the face I love. Now come on, you can go back upstairs and trawl through endless paperwork or you can help me with Belle here."

"Belle?" said Rose getting to her feet and walking over to the slab.

The Doctor turned back to the body and traced a finger down her cheek, a familiar sadness passing over his features and Rose realised that his previous humour had been his patented act of being unmoved when something reminded him of what he'd lost.

"Well she was very beautiful and she needs to have a name."

"Belle it is then," said Rose laying a hand on his shoulder and giving it a comforting squeeze, "And I'll help you, need to make sure you keep to protocol after all."

"You and your protocols!" said the Doctor with a half smile, "Right then, you write I'll talk."

Rose grabbed a nearby pen and paper and dragged over the stool she'd previously occupied.

"Right," said the Doctor, "Casualty is white female between the age of approximately fifteen and twenty…"

XXXX

Rose's eyes blurred slightly as she clicked the save icon on her computer screen, the report on the Doctor's autopsy of Belle typed and filed in the classified section of the system. The autopsy had proved the Doctor's prediction mostly right, the girl was not purely Gallifreyan although he had been unable to identify the other factor of her parenting. He had grown very quiet throughout, only speaking to tell her what to write and quickly retreating when everything was completed. Rose hadn't followed him, she had known from the second she had caught the haunted lonely look in his eyes that he would need time alone to think when they had finished. Despite how much they had shared and her knowledge of the Time War Rose knew she could never comprehend the pain he felt when something reminded him of his home world.

Leaning back in her chair Rose closed her eyes for a second, trying to will away the image of the young woman's open body with memories of happier times. Her mind fell once again onto her time with Jack and the Doctor in his old form. She smiled at the memory of a summer's evening in the South of France in the small town of Avignon. They had gone a hundred years before Rose's birth and got caught up in a festival outside the famous Palais Des Papes. Instead of running for their lives they had ended up running round something similar to a maypole, well she and Jack had, the Doctor had sat by watching them with amusement. She tried to get the memory to alter to the face she knew now in his place but only succeeded in seeming him tying a bemused Jack to the Maypole.

Her eyes fluttered open as she felt two cool lips brush against her smile. She blinked up at the figure standing over her before reaching a hand up to tame his fly away hair.

"What have we said about kissing at work?" she said with a badly formed attempt to hide her smile.

"You said nothing about kissing," said the Doctor, pinning her arms to the rests of the chair, "Pushing all those files off your desk and doing unspeakable things to you was mentioned as a no-no but I recall no conversation about kissing."

Rose giggled as he pressed another warm kiss against her lips, "You're dreadful," she said as he pulled back, his arms releasing hers, "Feeling a little better?"

He nodded, "A little, just want to get home and see the kids, curl up with you in our bed, remind myself of what's important now."

"You are hopelessly romantic aren't you?" said Rose as he allowed her to stand, "Ready to go home?"

"If you are," said the Doctor handing her a leather biker's jacket, similar to the one he already wore over his work clothes, the exchange of lab coat for leather marking out the difference between the Doctor Torchwood knew and the one he always was at home, "Mind if I drive?"

Rose frowned, the Corvette was his baby but the Harley had become hers and she didn't like to give it up easily however she knew her partner and his necessity to take control whenever he felt it slipping and the power of her motorbike would be something to master, "Why not," she said.

The Doctor flashed her a brilliant smile, picking up the back pack she'd brought and carrying it and her helmet for her as they left the quieting offices of Torchwood as the transition was made to the lower staffed night shift. They descended quickly to the ground floor car park and walked the short distance to the bike park. Rose had treated herself to the vintage Harley Davidson after her promotion within Torchwood and she could still remember the awed expressions on her family's face as she'd pulled up outside the house. Jack's expression had been something similar the first morning Rose had deemed it safe enough to drive the bike in the December weather rather than relying on the Doctor's car.

Rose took her bag from the Doctor and started to adjust the straps of her helmet as he busied himself with the various padlocks that secured the bike to the garage floor. A movement to her left caught her eye and she looked up, seeing a pigeon flutter off towards the exit. She returned her attention to her helmet but looked up once more as she heard a string of Gallifreyan curses echo from the man in front of her.

"Problem?" she asked as he stood up with a frown on his face.

"I'm getting old," he said.

"Only getting old?" said Rose.

"Oi! Cheeky! No I mean it, completely forgot to pick up the crash report for Belle's ship, wanted to look over it tonight."

"Leave it till morning," said Rose.

"You know I'll be back here five minutes after we get home if I don't get it now. Five minutes and I'll be back," said the Doctor, taking her face in his hands a placing a hurried kiss on her lips, "Warm the bike up while I'm gone."

Rose looked after him as he hurried back to the lift and disappeared behind the closing doors. She fished around in the pocket of her pant suit for her key, pulling out a first the TARDIS key and then her house key before finding the right one. Taking off her helmet and hanging it off the handle bar, she threw a leg over the bike and leaned over to find the ignition. The key refused to go into the hole easily as she cursed a few colourful words she had learned from the Doctor over the years. Her words however were cut off as a hand closed over her mouth. She tried to scream but the hand held tighter, another arm coming around her waist the haul her up off the bike. She struggled and kicked as best she could but the person holding her was strong and determined.

The arm around her middle tightened enough to make breathing a struggle and she stopped her struggling, hoping she could live long enough for the Doctor to come back. Her captor was breathing heavy, rasping breaths and Rose hoped for a moment that he would give up the struggle before he keeled over. The grip on her didn't loosen and she was simply held in place, tears running down her cheeks as she thought of whatever was next planned for her. She shuddered as she felt the soft puff of air against her ear and then the odd sensation of pressure as if she was under water. Her lungs were burning and she was sure she was a heart beat away from fainting. The breath continued and the pressure increased, her heart hammering so hard she feared it would burst free from her chest if it was fed oxygen soon.

"Please!" she tried to choke from behind the thick, smelly hand that covered her mouth. The attempt drained the last of her air and she could fight unconsciousness no more, blackness swimming over her eyes she slumped against the unknown arm.

XXXX

The Doctor hurriedly bypassed several of his more junior team members as they looked up at him with information hungry eyes, always keen to get five minutes with the department's director and bask in his almost mythical knowledge. He was in no mood to answer any ridiculous questions that would morph into three hour debates. Most of the time he adored the young inquisitive minds he worked with, he had taken it upon himself to personally hire every member of his team just so that he could see whether they had the mind and even more the heart to work in such a challenging role but tonight all he craved was the warmth of his home and a chance to put to rest the niggling feeling in the back of his mind that had appeared the second he'd seen Belle's body.

It shouldn't surprise him that hybrids of his people existed, they were genetically compatible with most humanoid forms and despite being the most noted he wasn't the only renegade Time Lord who had gone out into the universe. He had little pride in the thought but there was a distinct likelihood that there could be several people like Belle out in his old universe with his own DNA in their veins. The only problem was a question of why she had been found the wrong side of the void, a small percentage would suggest she was passing a crack in time and space as he had done years before and fallen but the crash report had made him think otherwise and he had every intention of studying it until he managed to bully the answer out of it.

"Ow!" muttered the Doctor as he raised a hand to his side, a pain rushing across his skin before disappearing as fast as it had come, "What the…?"

"Is everything alright Sir?"

The Doctor turned to see one of his technicians looking concerned at his director's pained stance.

"Fine, I'm fine," said the Doctor, "Just…came up the stairs a bit quick."

"You came in the lift."

The Doctor flashed him a cheeky smile and snatched up the file he'd come fore, "So I did," he said stepping through the door and back out into the main office space, "See you in the morning."

It was only when he had got passed the prying eyes of his employees that the Doctor began to run, not bothering with the lift and instead taking the lift two steps at a time, a feat death defying to any human but his Time Lord reflexes keeping him from falling. In inhuman speed he reached the car park and saw the bike and the scene he had dreaded before him. From behind the machine poked one booted foot and navy trouser leg. He hurried to Rose's side, lifting her up into his arms. He almost cried with relief to find her breathing but pulled his cell phone free from his pocket all the same, calling for a security team and then an ambulance. He looked back down at Rose as he heard the groan of her waking.

"Its alright baby," he said softly, "I'm right here."


	7. An Unexpected Surprise

The sterile private room in one of London's most prolific hospitals seemed all too clinical for the occupant of the hard, crisp white bed. The telly flickered in the corner but the pictures didn't register, instead playing happily to itself in the hope of someone deciding to listen. Out in the corridor could be heard the shuffle of hospital slippered feet and the odd murmur of hushed conversation. Rose shifted in bed once more, wincing at the discomfort brought on by her bruised ribs but too restless to lie still. She'd been alone for nearly half an hour, the Doctor having been called from her side to talk to the police that had taken up her case.

The security tapes provided by Torchwood and the discovery of Rose's bag being missing from the scene had pointed directly to a mugger, chancing upon the wealth of those working in Canary Wharf. She had colourfully cursed her luck before settling to tell the police all that she remembered from the attack before the Doctor had been called from the room to answer several more questions. Pete had been sent back to Greenwich by both the Doctor and Rose despite his worry for his daughter and told not to bring the family in until they had ascertained as to whether Rose would have to remain over night or not. The wait was beginning to get to Rose, her worry for her own health only over shadowed by a strong desire to get back to her children. The incidents over the passed month or so beginning to join together in a disturbing pattern despite the Doctor's assurance that he was sure nothing but a string of coincidences had occurred. Jean's dreams had settled and she had taken to sleeping alone once more and aside from the still unexplained discovery of Belle, the Rift had yet to yield any further troubles to them.

Rose swung her legs from beneath the blanket but further progression was halted when the door to the room opened and the Doctor raised an eyebrow in question at her actions. He waved her back into bed with the look of a stern father.

"Time Lord spider sense?" said Rose, grudgingly getting back into bed, "You finished with the police?"

"Yeah," said the Doctor, "They're going to do what they can but the footage is fuzzy and he was wearing a mask so they don't have a lot to go on. I'm just glad you're alright though."

Rose offered him a weak smile as he perched next to her on the bed, slipping his amulet around her neck before folding his hand in hers in a way she knew meant that he had worried.

"I always thought us staying on Earth would prove safer," he said brushing a lock of blonde back behind her ear, "Even staying in one place I can't protect you."

"Don't start," said Rose softly, "That bloke could have attacked anyone and you weren't to know. You can't protect me every minute of the day Doctor, the same way I can't always protect you. If we wanted to always be safe we'd simply pad ourselves in a room on the TARDIS and float in the vortex for all eternity."

"Doesn't sound like such a bad idea," said the Doctor, before shaking off his darkened manner and smiling down at her, "That consultant should be back in a bit to let us know when you can go home, I passed her in the corridor on the way back. Hopefully we'll get you home tonight, Jackie is frantic. I thought I'd better call her with an update and if it wasn't for Jack distracting her with some science experiment he and Addy were working on I never would have got her off the phone."

Rose looked half-way between alarmed and amused, "Jack and Adric working on a science project together, are we sure this is wise?"

"Jack's trying to distract the kids from worrying," said the Doctor, "Jean wasn't having any of it which is why I want to get you home but Addy fell into the ruse. Jack's taking this uncle business very seriously."

They were interrupted as a knock came on the door before the handle turned and the young consultant walked in. Melissa Ryan may have appeared young with her red streaked hair and high heels but she had proved her competency to both Rose and the Doctor with her handling of Rose's case. She offered the couple a warm smile and flipped open the file she had in her hands.

"Right Mrs Tyler…"

"Miss Tyler," said Rose, "We're not married, well not yet anyway."

"Sorry, Miss Tyler. You ribs will be sore for a few days but everything else checks out as normal and you'll be pleased to know that baby was unharmed during the attack although I would like to do an ultrasound just to double check."

Rose sat upright in the bed, ignoring the wrench of pain in her ribs, "Baby?"

Melissa looked slightly bemused by Rose's outburst and returned her attention to her notes, "Miss Tyler you're nearly two months pregnant," she said, "I take it you weren't aware."

"No I…Oh God!" said Rose, glancing up and seeing a similarly shocked expression on the Doctor's face, "With all the excitement since Addy's birthday I didn't even realise I'd skipped, I…"

"Could you give us a minute?" said the Doctor finally regaining the power of speech.

"Certainly," said Melissa with a small smile, "I'll be just outside."

Rose bit her lip until the door closed before breaking into desperate sobs, "I swear I didn't know," she choked, "Oh God Doctor what are we going to do?"

Two strong arms circled her and pulled her close, muffling her sobs against the soft cotton of his shirt, "Don't you cry," said the Doctor softly, "Rose…even I didn't realise and I knew long before you did with both Adric and Jeannie. I don't even know what to say, this is so unexpected, we're always so careful."

"We can't have this child," said Rose, pulling back slightly, "I've tied you to Earth for so long, we can't…I can't expect you to live another sixteen years this way."

"What's sixteen years in a lifetime of nearly a thousand?" said the Doctor tilting her face up to his, "Do you want this baby?"

"I…I want you to be happy, I want to be back out in the stars, I want Addy and Jean to know who you are, I want…I want what we planned."

"You should know by now Miss Tyler that nothing with us ever goes to plan," said the Doctor, "We can still have all those things, we can tell Addy and Jean, we can visit the stars but then we can come home, bring this little thing inside you up knowing that he's something more special than any other child on Earth because he's ours."

"He?" asked Rose, smiling through her tears.

"Gotta be a he, determined little thing."

"Just like his Daddy," said Rose before her expression turned serious once more, "Are you really sure though Doctor? Its not too late to terminate if…"

The Doctor silenced her with a finger against her lips, "Rose you can't even swat a fly without doing half an hour on the life you've just taken and I've…well I'm me, do you think either of us could willingly terminate something we created just because its an inconvenience?" said the Doctor laying a hand across her still flat stomach, "Let's give it a go hey, we've done pretty well the passed two times and they say the third is the charm."

Rose lay her hand over his, looking down at her body and trying to picture the time she remembered of not being able to tie her own shoes. A tear broke loose and coursed down her cheek but a slim, pale finger caught it before it could fall from her face. She tilted her face up to the man next to her and met his kiss willingly, knowing in that one gentle movement that he wanted the child as much as she did. Two fingers moved to rest against her temple and she felt the slight push against her consciousness before his voice echoed in her mind.

"Besides, Jack has some serious nappy duty to make up for."

Rose pulled back from the kiss, immediately missing the connection as his mind left hers, "You'd better go and get Doctor Ryan back, I think we scared her."

The Doctor pressed another kiss to her lips, "I'll be right back."

Rose lay back as she watched him leave the room, smiling to herself as she thought of the looks on her children's faces when she told them of their impending brother or sister. She suppressed a giggle as she thought of her Mum's outburst at Adric's party, perhaps mother's intuition surpassed a Time Lord's in matters of maternity. She frowned as she thought of all the paperwork she would need to complete for both her and the Doctor when she returned to the office, for one of the most simple of human processes maternity leave left a lot to be desired when it came to its organisation. She hadn't got as far as names when the door opened once more to reveal a rather relieved looking Melissa Ryan trailing an ultra sound scanner behind her.

"I managed to steal one from Maternity so we didn't have to move you," she said, holding the door open for the Doctor behind her as he helped her manoeuvre the unwieldy trolley. It didn't take long to set up the equipment and before she had time to properly prepare herself Rose was wincing at the chill of the ultrasound jelly, marvelling that in all the improvements of medical science over the years they had still been unable to invent something that didn't freeze you when applied. The improvements of the ultrasound itself though soon had Rose forgetting the chill on her abdomen. When she had gone for her scan with Adric she had seen nothing but a grainy black and white image but now there was glorious colour before her and the gentle double heartbeat as her own mingled with that of her child, once again negating the need for a hurried explanation of genetic defaults on the child's father's side.

"There we are," said Melissa, "There's baby, nice and big and healthy, everything looks to be going very according to plan."

Rose didn't need to tear her eyes from the screen to know the expression on the Doctor's face, she had seen the same Bambi eyed affection for both of their children at this early stage but also on the days of their birth. For a man who had seen the birth of galaxies she knew he had never worn more of an expression of wonder than when he looked upon the image of the tiny little creature that he had created with her. She wondered if his other two wives before her, the mothers of his other, now long lost children had felt the same rush of love that she felt when she saw his face, no Time Lord, no millennia old traveller, just a man, a father.

"He's beautiful," said the Doctor, his grip altering slightly on Rose's hand.

"She's better than beautiful," said Rose, hearing him laugh at her defiance behind her.

Melissa rotated the scanner slightly away from them and manoeuvred the handset across Rose's stomach, "Would you like to know?" she asked.

Rose looked up at the Doctor and he nodded his consent, both of them knowing he would only cheat later and use one of the sonic screwdriver's newer settings to establish the sex before the birth.

"Go on then," said Rose, "Tenner says it's a girl."

"Call it twenty and you're on," said the Doctor.

"You'll regret that statement, " said Melissa, "You have a very beautiful baby girl on the way Doctor Smith."

Rose turned to look at her partner when he didn't respond and smiled as she saw his expression as he focused on the screen.

"Oh I don't think I could ever regret that," said the Doctor, "Not in a million years."

The scan only lasted a few more minutes while Melissa checked that all was perfectly well with the baby before the machine was shut off with promises of a recording of the ultrasound and the obligatory picture to be shown to everyone who wished to see the still slightly inhuman looking blob Rose was carrying. With assertions that all was well Rose was allowed to go home, only having to wait a few more minutes while prenatal care was arranged and discharge papers were signed. With her motorbike left at Torchwood and its use now firmly out of bounds they were left with little option for a taxi back through the now dark streets of London but neither Rose or the Doctor noticed, too engrossed in the little six by four picture of their little life changing event.

XXXX

"Noooooo way! You're joking right?" cried Adric, throwing his arms around his mother before stepping back as she winced, "Sorry. But seriously, you're pregnant, like having a baby pregnant."

"Is there any other kind?" said Rose, settling back on the front room sofa and accepting a hug from her daughter who was still enthralled by the photo of her new sister.

"Mum this is such good news," she said, "Have you thought of what to call her?"

"Not yet," said the Doctor, "We haven't known long ourselves and we didn't name either of you until you were born so we'll probably wait."

"I can't believe you're having another one," said Jackie, "I knew it though, I was saying so to your Dad the other day, there was something different about you since you came back from Norway."

Rose just smiled as her mother continued to rattle on about how well she knew her own daughter and could always tell whenever something was wrong. Rose turned her attention to her two children, both of them draped gently over her, admiring the picture.

"Was I ever that small?" said Adric.

"Yep," said Rose, "But then you kept on growing and growing and getting cheekier and cheekier until look, you became your Daddy."

"Will she look like you Mum," said Jean, "Or will she be like me?"

"Who knows. You looked very much like I did in your babyhood but then you got your grandmother's looks. We'll see though."

Jack gave the Doctor a firm punch on the arm, "You dirty old dog though, who knew you had it in you old man?"

"Hey! Less of the old!" said the Doctor with a look that dared his friend to challenge it, "I look younger than you."

"I'm like a fine wine," said Jack, "I get better with age, you just turned to vinegar and got all preserved."

Adric shot a cheeky smile at his sister who took up the cue immediately, "You really gonna take that from him Dad?"

"Yeah Dad, he comes in here after years of neglect and starts insulting you in front of us, I wouldn't stand for it," said Adric, already arming himself with one of the sofa cushions.

Rose got up from the sofa, holding her hands in mock surrender, "Let me get clear before the missiles start flying," she said retreating behind her mother as Dominic entered the fray. Jack quickly picked up on the potential battle before him and picked up one of the large floor cushions.

"Bring it on kiddos," he said to the three Tyler children.

"Mind the Christmas tree," said Jackie, barely containing her laughter at the Time Agent as he almost cowered under the first onslaught of scatter cushions, Sphinx rushing like lightning from beneath the sofa and up into Rose's arms.

"Young versus old!" called Rose, shooting her partner a wicked grin as his own children and brother-in-law turned their attention to him.

"I could go off you Tyler!" he called before diving behind the sofa and out of harms way.

The battle increased in ferocity, cushions flying to and from the now make shift barricades. Even Pete had joined in the fray much to Jackie and Rose's amusement. The three grown men soon falling to the speed and accuracy of the three youngsters. The Doctor soon had them all laughing, barking orders like a general and suggesting an all out kamikaze attack across the No Mans Land of the living room floor between the two opposing sofas. Jackie had seen the hazard that lay in the path a second too late as all three vaulted over the sofa. It was Jack's foot that hit the discarded magazine and it was both Jack and the Doctor who went tumbling backwards onto the hardwood floor as the Time Agent grabbed onto him for support.

The laughter stopped immediately as the thump of two bodies hitting the ground echoed around the room and for a second the room took neither breath nor movement. The atmosphere dispersed though when both the Doctor and Jack began laughing like fools as they lay staring at the ceiling.

"You always did want me flat on my back Harkness," said the Doctor, pushing himself up to standing and offering his hand to his fallen comrade.

"You said I had to buy you a drink first," said Jack, gingerly rubbing the back of his head where it had impacted with the floor, "You sure that floor's wood and not granite?"

"You've got a thick enough skull," said Rose, relieved that neither party had been hurt, "But I think its time all our dear soldiers settled down, Sphinx is scared half to death by the noise you lot were making."

As if to emphasise the point the wild haired cat gave a pained meow before leaping down from Rose's grip and wrapping herself around the Doctor's ankles. The Doctor scooped her up, fussing the sticky-up hairs on her head.

"I thought you weren't a cat person these days," said Jack.

"Sphinx isn't a cat," said the Doctor, "She's a highly trained Mouse Muncher and Arachnid Assassin, stops Jean screaming every time she sees a spider."

"I do not scream!" said Jean, folding her arms across her chest, as she huffed down on the now cushionless sofa before letting out a high pitched squeal as Adric secretly traced a finger across her neck in a spider's touch.

"Wicked Brat!" she snapped at him before snatching up a discarded cushion and smacking him round the head with it.

"I'm going to lie down," said Rose before retreating upstairs from the carnage that was ensuing below.

XXXX

"Not tinkering tonight?" said Rose as she came out of her ensuite bathroom in a billow of steam and fragrance. The Doctor lay on his stomach the wrong way round on the bed, clad only in a pair of dark sweat pants as he studied the ultrasound printout in his hand. He clearly hadn't heard a word she'd uttered as he continued to gaze at the tiny form before him. Rose perched next to him on the bed, laying a hand on the bare skin of his back.

"I think she has your eyes," she said, tracing a nail up and down his spine and causing him to fidget.

"She's got your nose," said the Doctor, "And your smile."

"She's not smiling," said Rose, studying the fuzzy image.

"Yes she is," said the Doctor, rolling onto his back and looking up at her, "You alright?"

Rose nodded, "I feel ok, ribs are a little sore and I don't want to take anything with little'un inside me. Just glad I seem to have bypassed the morning sickness I had with the other two."

"Just pray you bypass the cravings as well," said the Doctor, "I'm not doing three AM stints across town to the only twenty-four hour Italian for Chicken Florentine this time."

"Hmmm yes you will," said Rose leaning down and kissing him, "Time Tots in bed?"

"Addy is but Jeannie was still up sketching when I looked in on her," said the Doctor.

"She should be asleep, she's got school in the morning," said Rose getting up from the bed, "I'll be back in a minute."

The Doctor turned his attention back to the picture in his hand as Rose left the room, padding as silently as she could down the corridors of the sleeping house. Jean's door was ajar and soft lighting spilled out onto the landing. Rose tapped lightly on the door before pushing it open. Jean looked up and smiled at her mother.

"Don't worry, I'm still here," she said with a cheeky grin.

"I know," said Rose, "I just thought I'd come to say good night, you should get some sleep."

"I'm not that tired," said Jean, "And I wanted to finish this."

Rose wandered over to the desk her daughter sat at and looked down at the drawing she was working on. She looked down at the city-scape before her and frowned, a small semblance of recognition tugging at her mind.

"Where is this place Jeannie?" she said, reaching down to pick up the drawing.

"I don't know," said Jean, "I think I saw it in a movie once, its so pretty I had to draw it. I was going to put it in the art fair at school."

Rose smiled, "You should," she said, "You have your father's talent much as he insists he can only draw stick men. You shouldn't waste it."

"Bout the only thing of Dad I've got," said Jean mournfully.

Rose looked down into her daughter's icy blue eyes, trying to push aside the urge to tell her all of her heritage, instead she settled on a well used phrased, "You have a lot more of your Dad in you than you'll ever know Jeanne Antoinette, trust me," she said shuffling through several more sketches on the desk, "These are all wonderful. You should let me frame some to put around the house, you…"

"Mum?" said Jean as her mother trailed off, the rest of the sketches dropping from her hand as she picked up a black and white pencil drawing from the desk.

"This man," said Rose, studying the picture before her, the sharp, angled features, the deep haunted eyes, the almost military short hair, "How…who? Jean why did you draw this person?"

Jean looked at the drawing, "Oh that's someone I call Enigma, I dream about him sometimes. He…after what happened with the pond that night I kept dreaming about him. He keeps the nightmares away he…Mum what's wrong, you look really pale."

"I…I…" stuttered Rose, "Can I show your Dad this? Its…its really rather good, I…"

"Mummy? Mummy what's wrong? Is it the baby? Do you feel ill?"

"Jean I…"

Any further words were cut short by the gut wrenching scream from down the hall. Still clutching the drawing in her hand Rose fled her daughter's room, searching for the origin of the sound. It didn't take her long to catch the distinct American tone in the cries and she turned herself to Jack's room, barely missing a collision with the Doctor as he stepped from their room, also following the sound. Rose didn't stand on ceremony when she reached Jack's door, barging through it with all her strength and finding the American knotted in his sheets on the floor, muttering in the throes of a devastating nightmare.

"Jack?" she called, scared to get too close to his thrashing arms and clenched fists in her currently condition. The Doctor however was soon on the floor beside his friend, holding him firmly as he brought him from his dreams with comforting words and a familiar embrace.

"Its alright Jack, its alright," said the Doctor as the other man quieted, "Jesus Christ what was that?"

Jack seemed to regain some of his senses, releasing the choke hold he had on the Doctor's hastily donned robe, "I remember," he said, staring up at the Doctor with haunted eyes, "I remember everything. Gallifrey, Doctor, Gallifrey's alive and…"

"Rose," said the Doctor silencing the man before him, "Rose, tell everyone its alright. Get the kids to bed. Meet us downstairs when everyone's settled. I think our Jack needs a brandy."

The Doctor helped Jack to his feet, the Captain keeping his silence as he was manoeuvred passed several confused faces and down the stairs. Rose turned to her waiting family, all of them bemused by Jack's out cry.

"Just a nightmare," said Rose, "Nothing to worry about. Back to bed."

"Mum you're shaking," said Adric, seeing the paper clutched in his mother's hand trembling.

"Just a shock," said Rose, "Noise like that gave me a fright."

"Come on, bed," said Jackie seeing the pleading for assistance in her daughter's eyes, "Like Rose said, just a nightmare, happens to the best of us."

Rose let out a breath as finally all her family turned back to their rooms. She waited until all the doors had been firmly shut before descending the stairs and hurrying to the kitchen. The back door was open and she knew the Doctor had taken Jack to the sanctity of the TARDIS rather than risk the potential of eavesdroppers in the house. She shuffled her feet into a pair of her mother's gardening shoes and hurried across the lawn to the TARDIS' resting spot. The door was ajar but she closed it firmly as she stepped inside. A post it note had hurriedly been stuck to the screen bearing one word in the familiar curly handwriting.

Library.

The distance to the library had never seemed so long even with the TARDIS morphing the corridors to make the journey as short as possible. Rose stepped over the threshold to see the Doctor handing Jack a glass of a familiar chocolate liquor that both the Doctor and Rose had found by experience to be a good treatment for shock. Jack took the glass in a shaky hand, sipping tentatively as the Doctor laid a blanket around his shoulders.

"We waited for you," said the Doctor as Rose sat next to her friend, wrapping an arm around his shoulders as the Doctor pulled up a small ottoman to sit opposite them both.

"Jack, tell me what you remember," said the Doctor closing his hand over Jack's free one, "From the beginning."

"I…I stayed at Rose's for days and days but then I checked the list of the dead and both she and Jackie were on it. I was so angry, I wanted answers and I couldn't find you so I went to Torchwood got involved with some people from there who wanted to make it a properly useful organisation. I joined them and then I found out they had a base in Cardiff and so I went, Cardiff had so many memories and I remembered the Rift, I thought maybe you'd come back one day. I worked with Torchwood, I waited for you but you never came but then one day I was on my own and I heard it, the engines, the TARDIS engines and I thought that you'd finally found me, that I was going home. I looked up but in place of the blue box stood a cabinet exactly the same as we had in the Hub. A door appeared and out stepped this woman, she was so beautiful. She called herself Dana, said she was a friend of yours and that she needed to find you. She'd travelled through time, finding anyone with connections to the Doctor, anyone who registered as having been inside the TARDIS. Companion after companion, never once finding you. She realised after she met with someone named Martha that you had skipped out of Earth time, barely returning save for a few weeks after Rose's disappearance. Then she found me…"

"You're sure her name was Dana?" said the Doctor.

"I'll never forget her name now as long as I live," said Jack, "Did you know her Doctor?"

"She's my mother," said the Doctor softly, "But what happened? Why did she find you? Why didn't she come with you?"

"Its all so fuzzy," said Jack, closing his eyes against the bombardment of suppressed memories.

"Jack we need to know," said Rose, "Dana was protecting something very important. Did she speak to you about the Idralas?"

Jack paled further, looking up at Rose with haunted eyes, "She told me. She said that she had been guarding it but then the place she was keeping it was over run with people and she was overpowered, the container taken and she was left in almost nothingness. She said Rassilon, or someone like that was smiling on her though because her old TARDIS found her, saved her. She tracked the Idralas and found, she found Gallifrey, your planet Doctor it was alive but something was wrong. She got to the surface in secret and the people weren't right, there was something wrong with them, she said they didn't feel real. She left before she was discovered and tried to find you. She sent me after you when she realised where you had gone and we couldn't access the tunnel you'd created between the worlds. She stayed to monitor what was happening. I don't know any more, I'm sorry."

The Doctor got to his feet and began pacing the large Persian rug beside the fire, muttering to himself in his own tongue, odd words only occasionally meeting the recognition of his two friends. He turned to Rose with a fire in his eyes she hadn't seen in years, determination etched into his features.

"We have to go, we have to tell the children and then we have to go. We have to hide. The Idralas must be connected to this new Gallifrey somehow and the body today, Belle's body. Mum told Jack that the Gallifreyans weren't right, I told you Belle wasn't. Mum must have been tracked and then they followed Jack and if they can do that they can find us. We need to get the kids, everyone into the TARDIS before its too late and we have to hide them. I'll search for my mother when you're all safe and find out what's going on."

Rose felt a rustle of breeze pass her fingers, a common message from the TARDIS to remind her of something important. She looked down at the rumpled sketch still in her hand, "Doctor," she said, her voice close to breaking, "I think it might be too late to hide."

"What?"

"Jeannie," said Rose opening up the drawing for him to see, "Has seen this man in her sleep."

Jack looked at the picture in her hand, "But that's…"

"Me," said the Doctor, "But Jeannie has never seen a picture of me as I was. We need to get back to the house."


	8. The Storm

The pencil sketch of the Doctor's Ninth form was soon laying forgotten on the TARDIS library floor as all three ran from the room, the TARDIS willingly morphing the corridors to the exit as best she could to accommodate them. The Doctor was barking instructions at both Jack and Rose, Rose was to explain as quickly as she could to the children about their heritage whilst Jack made sure Jackie didn't spend all her time packing, only utter essentials needed to be brought on board. They reached Control Room and swiftly crossed to the doors, the Doctor pulling it open with more ferocity and desperation than he had ever used before.

None of them expected the great wind that buffeted them back, pushing them down against the grated ramp with the strength of ten men. They fought to their feet as rain and hail pelted them mercilessly, the tiny razor-like pieces of ice leaving thin trails of red across their skin as it cut into them. Rose shut her eyes tightly, using all the will she had to ignore the agony in her ribs and fight against the wind. She heard the Doctor's frantic voice, the shout that this was no natural storm, they had been discovered.

"Get behind the door!" he cried over the howl of the wind, "Push it shut. I'll land the TARDIS in the house."

Rose pulled herself along the handrail, towards the door as the wind forced her further and further back. She could hear both men calling for her help as they both reached the door and tried to close it against the onslaught of the storm. The TARDIS was wailing and sparking, the rain lashing against the control panel and flooding the floor. Rose glanced at some of the more exposed power couplings beneath the grates and prayed that whatever powered flowed through the veins of the ship did not react with water the same way electricity did. She struggled on, catching hold of the Doctor's robe and pulling herself flush against his back, levering all her weight onto him as he pushed against the door.

Jack took up the count, a rhythmic push against the constant pressure of the storm. The door wouldn't budge, its hinges whining against the two opposing forces waging war either side of it. Rose feared that the ships integrity would finally fail but the flimsy looking wood held strong, the TARDIS fighting with them against the power forcing its way into her. When more than minutes seemed to have passed the door began to give in their favour, scraping noisily against the grated floor. Inch by agonising inch it came closer to closing, closer to blocking out the storm and rendering the TARDIS able to take off. Rose almost gave a yelp of joy as it yielded nearly two inches of ground, a few more moments and they would be victorious.

Her joy was short lived as a more violent gust than before swept the doors full open, buffeting them back against the grates. Rose was flung the furthest as she lost her grip on the Doctor's clothes, flying beyond the steps until she impacted solidly against the console. She felt the blood at the back of her skull the second she impacted on the surface , her body not responding to any command for movement. All she could do was watch on helplessly as the wind that had been pushing against them turned to a vacuum, pulling at the two men who clung desperately to the support beams. She felt something vine like wrap around her, anchoring her to the console but she could hear the desperate beeps and whistles also. The TARDIS had her secure but could do nothing for her other two crew members. Rose wondered if the pain in her hearts was the same as the Doctor had felt when he had seen her being pulled hopelessly towards the void.

She watched as both Jack and the Doctor's grips began to fail, fingers stretching in a desperate attempt to hold on the beams. It was Jack who failed first, his fingers slipping from the beam and his body thrown like a rag doll into the storm beyond. Rose heard her own cry of his name as he disappeared into the whirling cyclone at the heart of the storm. She heard her own prayers as she watched her partner struggling against the intolerable pull. His fingers slipped from the beam and she felt her heart stop but he caught hold of a hanging power cable, wrapping one arm around it in an anchor. He struggled against the pull but the TARDIS was already groaning with the effort of holding him. The sounds of tearing plastic and sparking wires signalled the failing cable, the Doctor edging further and further to the door as inch by inch it broke free from its mooring on the ship. He was calling her name, begging for her help but even without the TARDIS' restraints Rose knew her body would not move, the impact on her head had paralysed both voluntary and involuntary movement. She tried to call his name but her lips would not move, she could not even shout out for him. She was helpless as she watched him struggling, his body looking so fragile and human against the power of the storm.

She prayed. She prayed to the God she had been taught of when her Mum had made her go to Sunday School, a breath of religion in the aftermath of her true father's death. She prayed to the fashionable religions she and her friends had half heartedly looked into because some celebrity had chosen to publicly worship it. She prayed to Rassilon and all the mystical wonders of Gallifrey that the Doctor had so enthralled her with in his stories and she prayed to the universe to save its soldier, its protector but none listened. She couldn't even scream as the power cable gave way, showering her with sparks as the Doctor's grip failed and he was pulled from the TARDIS, flying through the air almost weightlessly.

The tears flowed down her cheeks unchecked as he disappeared into the heart of the storm and she felt the consciousness she had gripped onto with all her strength ebbing from her. Her heart shuddered to a stop as she focused on the cyclone. Two evil, icy blue eyes staring down at her, the wind turning to an all too familiar laugh as darkness claimed her for its prize.

XXXX

The fizzing and hissing of exposed power cables echoed in the other wise silent control room, punctuated her and there by a mournful beep from the central console. Water dripped down from every surface and the door swung idly on its hinges, swaying in the gentle night breeze. The danger passed, cables began to unwind from the form it held close to the console, the beeps increasing in volume and frequency in a vain attempt to wake its sleeping counterpart.

"Doctor?" was the first whispered sound in the darkness, "Doctor?"

Another flurry of beeps echoed, begging, cajoling Rose to wakefulness. The woman stirred, groaning at the agony in her side and head. Her eyes blinking open, trying to focus on the room around her and the odd sensation of the cooling water drenching her clothes. When all senses had returned fully however the silence was shattered by Rose's desperate scream, the carnage of the Control Room testament to the event she could no longer pray was a dream. She hurried to the open door, peering out over the dark garden, looking for a figure in the dim light. She saw nothing. Laying her head against the door she choked on a sob.

"God Doctor what happened? Where are you?"

A mournful beep echoed behind her.

"We gotta find him girl," said Rose, "We…the children!"

Pulling the door closed behind her Rose tore across the sodden grass towards the house, freezing a metre or so away from the structure as she took in its ruined appearance. It looked almost as if it had been attacked by a rampaging army, the windows down the side of the grand party room smashed to pieces, the curtains blowing in tatters through the gaps. It looked almost unlived in. She pushed open the kitchen door and stepped inside, the sparseness hitting her immediately. Jackie, although house proud, never succeeded in keeping a tidy kitchen but now the room was near empty, one cupboard door hanging off its hinges. Rose shuddered at the coldness that greeted her. Clinging on to her wits with barely a thread she grabbed a large kitchen knife from its block, frowning at the brown rust the it left on her hand.

She padded silently into the hallway, noticing with alarm the missing pictures of her family that normal donned the walls. Aged brown stems of long forgotten flowers nestled in the curves of the stair case and a banner wishing a happy 39th birthday half hung from the rafters above. Rose didn't stop to examine further, taking the steps two at a time she climbed the ornate marble stair case ignoring the gathering of autumn leaves at her feet and the tarnishing of every surface. She ran into Jean's room, finding what was once a pink, plush young girl's bedroom replaced by old storage and the smell of neglected decay. She slammed the door on the sight before her and turned to Adric's room, bracing herself before opening the door. The room usually littered with various text books and half completed projects was now nothing more than a neatly appointment double room. Rose sunk down to her knees, crying into her hands at the cold fear filling her veins as the knife clattered to the floor.

"Jeannie! Adric! Where are you?" she cried out to nothingness, "Mum? Dad? Dominic?!"

No answer came to any of her calls. She pushed back up to her feet, returning to searching the rooms and finding each as she didn't expect to. She hesitated at her own bedroom door, her fingers playing out a tuneless rhythm on the handle. She pushed down, hearing the hinges creak. She peered inside, the bed was made and no clothes hung haphazardly over the chair sat nearby. She hurried to the cupboard and threw it open, nothing but a few mothballed old coats looked back at her. She groped inside, hoping to hit the family texture of brown pinstripes and silk ties. She pulled away and turned to the bed, running a hand over the flowery eiderdown that she remembered being a woollen comforter from the TARDIS. She sat down on the edge, trying to keep the tears gathering at the corners of her eyes back. She shivered in the cold. She wrapped her arms around herself, rocking slightly to get her circulation moving. Her mind was working overtime, had she been sent back or forward in time during the storm. Were any of her family alive, or captured, or in different points throughout history, confused and afraid.

She shot to her feet at the sound of scuffling from the bottom of the stairs. She left her room and hurried along the corridor to pick up the discarded knife before edging along the landing trying to get a look at her intruder.

"Jack? Rose? Where are you?"

She shuddered at the tone of the voice below, cursing every power in the universe that she had to endure the torment of his form again when everything seemed lost. At least she remembered his regeneration this time and if the Idralas was responsible she would be wise to him, he would not fool her twice.

"Rose? Rose? Answer me! Stupid ape where are you?"

Rose choked on a sob at the desperation in his voice, bit her lip against the desire to run down the stairs and launch herself into his arms, submerge herself in the scent of leather and cologne she had all but forgotten to mourn for. She listened to the pacing footfalls and then the echo of military boots on the marble stairs as he began to climb. She hesitated between bolting for one of the abandoned bedrooms or staying as still she could in the hope that the shadows would conceal her.

"Rose? Rose? Are you up here? I don't know what happened but I'm here if you can hear me. Jack?"

Rose cursed herself as the murmur of a sob escaped her lips as he came partially into view, his clear blue eyes scanning the area for the friends he called out for. She saw his expression change as the sound reached him.

"Is there someone here?" he said, looking around himself in an attempt to pinpoint the sound, "I mean you no harm, I'm just looking for my friends. A man, American, dark hair, cocky attitude and a girl, young, blonde, she's wearing a pink shirt and pig tails in her hair."

Rose felt a shudder go through her as she heard the softening in his voice as he spoke of her. The movement was enough to give herself away and two piercing eyes turned on her peering into the gloom. He took two steps towards her before she shot to her feet, the knife held unsteadily before her in a semblance of threat.

"Don't come any closer," she said, glad her hand had fallen to hide her face, "I know what you are, come any closer and I'll…I'll…God even if I stick this in you, you won't die. Damn you why couldn't you leave us in peace!"

She watched the Doctor raise his hands in surrender, a perplexed expression on his face, "Do I know you? Your voice, it seems so familiar."

"Like you don't know who I am," hissed Rose, "And I know what you are too, Idralas, Cyka Idralas, The Dealer of Blood."

"How do you know…how? Who are you?"

Rose saw the knife in her hand shake more as the tone of his voice passed her mind and entered her heart, her resolve began to leave her. When the Idralas had masqueraded as the Doctor it had made sure it never questioned itself, it made her forget the past but now she stood with every memory intact if confused and she could not help but lower the knife, letting it clatter to the floor beside her as she pushed back the hair from her face. She looked up, straight into the frosty blue eyes before her. Keeping her expression as hard as possible as she watched the war of emotions on his face.

"Jackie?"

"Rose," said Rose softly, "I'm Rose."

"Ro…Rose?"

She nodded as he stood almost frozen to the spot before her.

"But you…you…you're nineteen. We were just on the TARDIS, you were nineteen but you…you're…"

"I'm almost thirty-nine," said Rose softly, "And you and I parted company years ago…you…"

Rose trailed off as he closed the gap between them one hand going to her cheek, caressing the faint lines around her eye as the other fit so naturally into her hand. Rose gasped at the contact, feeling the familiar tingle that always accompanied his hand even twenty years since he took it for the first time. She looked up at him, blinking back the tears.

"You took my hand," she whispered, "You took my hand."

"Rose?"

"Its you!" she said, "Its really you, you're really you! You're real! Doctor you're real!"

"Of course I'm real," said the Doctor tentatively wrapping his arms around her as she threw hers around his neck. She buried her face in the leather at his shoulder and sobbed against him, clinging to him as if he too would disappear if she even dared let go.

"Rose," he said into her hair, "Rose what happened? Why am I here? Why are you here? I was on the TARDIS with the younger you only minutes ago. We opened the doors and there was this almighty wind and you, I couldn't keep hold of you or Jack and then it pulled me out as well."

"I don't know," sniffed Rose, "But the same thing happened to us. Jack and the Doctor got pulled away from the TARDIS but she held on to me, wouldn't let it take me. Now they've all gone and I don't know what to do."

The Doctor pulled back from her, tilting her head up to look at him, "I thought you said we'd parted company."

"You and I," said Rose, "But not the Doctor and I. I don't know how much I should be saying to you but you regenerate, you change, I lose you."

"Oh Rose…"

"Its alright, its alright, I come to terms with it, I accept you," said Rose, "I stay with you…well until tonight. I don't know why you were bought here, perhaps the TARDIS did it, perhaps the Idralas did it but you're here and you and I need to work together, I need your help to fly the TARDIS."

The Doctor's face darkened as the words left her mouth, "How do you know about an Idralas? You've mentioned it twice now but…"

Rose pressed a finger to his lips, "Its best if we start from the beginning. Come with me, I don't feel safe here and the TARDIS is just outside, we can talk in there."

The Doctor nodded, "Okay…Rose?"

"Yes?"

"Who is he?"

"Who?" asked Rose.

"Who are you engaged to? I felt the ring when I took your hand."

Rose looked down at the glittering diamond on her finger and then back at him with the first smile she had felt touch her lips in hours, "You," she said softly, "I'm engaged to you. Come on, I have a lot I need to tell you."

XXXX

The TARDIS library seemed almost cheery as the fire danced happily in the grate and the old fashioned tea set sat on the small mahogany coffee table between the two over stuffed hearth chairs. Rose had hurriedly changed into a set of old clothes that still hung in her wardrobe in her old room before returning to the Doctor to explain the course of events to him. She was somewhat pleased to find that remnants of her Doctor remained within the TARDIS confines, allowing her pictures of him if not their children to aid her explanations. She had hesitated at first in telling the man before her of the future that faced him but necessity negated the need for secrecy, he needed to know everything if he was to help her in any way.

The Doctor in the most part had listened to her in concentrated silence, only interrupting on occasion to enquire after a point he thought would be crucial. The tale of the Idralas and Dana brought a tear to them both, the Doctor unbelieving that his mother yet lived and Rose fighting the horrid memories of the time the Doctor was trapped with the unholy creature. By the time she reached her tale of the battle of Canary Wharf she had crossed the floor to kneel by his feet as she spoke, her head resting against his knees, seeking the comfort of his scent and touch. He had cried with her and then smiled with her as she told of their reunion, the discovery of her pregnancy. Rose tried to condense the sixteen years of their lives since Adric's birth as much as possible, reaching the point of Jean's dreams and all the subsequent phenomena that led them to the point they had reached.

"…That's when it all kicked off," said Rose, "I went in to say good night to Jean and found the picture of you. She had never seen any such picture, we kept everything of who you were hidden away so they wouldn't get suspicious. I was going to show you…the other you and then Jack cried out. I don't know what triggered his memories, perhaps it was the bump on the head during the pillow fight but he was crying and shouting about Gallifrey. We took him to the TARDIS in case the children over heard anything. He told us about Dana trying to find the Doctor because of what was happening on Gallifrey. I had the drawing and we realised that Jean's nightmares were down to the Idralas. We were going to get everyone on board, find some place of safety for the children and then look for Dana. That's when the storm happened and he…I couldn't even reach for him…it took him…my Doctor…"

Rose felt two strong arms reach down to her, lifting her up until she fell against the cool, strong body waiting for her. She cleaved to his embrace, choking back the sobs once more.

"Its alright," was the murmur against her hair, eerily calm and reassuring, "Tell me what happened next, I need to know everything Rose."

Rose swallowed back her tears and continued, tracing patterns in the tear stains on his jacket, "I…I must have blacked out or something. When I woke up I looked for him in the garden but he wasn't there. The whole universe felt colder, dimmer. I went to the house and it looked abandoned, everything that was ours was gone, the rooms all wrong and everyone gone. Jeannie, Addy, Dom, Mum and Dad. The Doctor's suit wasn't in the cupboard and the bed…he never, ever made the bed, it was neat and all folded. That's when I heard you and the rest you know. What can we do? What happened?"

The Doctor set her on her feet, before standing himself and turning to push her gently back into the chair. He took a blanket from the nearby sofa and draped it over her, tucking it beneath her legs.

"Rest," he said, "And let me think. You look tired, you should try to sleep."

"That's babies for you, I used to be able to keep going for hours on end," said Rose running a hand over her stomach before another bolt of ice hit her veins, "Doctor?"

"What?"

"The sonic screwdriver, do you have it with you?"

The Doctor pulled the device from his pocket and held it up to her, "Right here."

"Can I…?" said Rose holding her hand out for it.

The Doctor tentatively laid it in her palm, "Be careful."

"I think after twenty years I've mastered its use," said Rose, her hands shaking as she altered the settings to a medical scanner. She ran it across her abdomen, the blue light illuminating like an ultraviolet on the plain white shirt she wore. The little device beep a positive but Rose's face crumpled into hot, fresh tears all the same. The Doctor was by her side in a second, his arms around her as he hushed her.

"What is it? What's wrong?" he asked as she cried once more into his shoulder.

"I'm pregnant without him…if he's gone. How if everything else is gone am I still pregnant."

"Sshh!" was the whispered sound against her hair, "It all fits. Rose the man you know as the Doctor has been ripped from time, everything about him erased but you and the baby weren't effected because of the TARDIS' protection. My God you're pregnant, pregnant with my baby that's…"

"HIS baby," said Rose quickly, "His baby. But what about the children…I need my children…I need him, I need my Doctor back. Why aren't they safe too? Why isn't my family safe in their beds where I left them?"

"Rose!" said the Doctor, his voice as stern as she remembered from years before when he told her not to touch her baby self, "Rose listen to me. Everything he ever did, every effect has been ripped from time and space but its not gone, nothing can do that. He's been taken from his timeline but we can restore it if we stay calm, we have to think, to work out what we're facing and defeat it. An single Idralas alone does not have this power, we're dealing with something greater."

"But my children…my parents…"

"Everything he ever effected cannot be restored yet, you need to push them back from your mind. At the moment your mother would not have survived the Sycorax attack on Earth, Mickey wouldn't be here, we have to assume that all of his family has altered too, Pete would have fallen to the Cybermen and your children were never conceived, never born. Everything he did or said no longer exists except in your memory Rose but we can't get it back until we know what we're dealing with and our best bet is my Mother, she sent for you, there's hope she's still free and alive."

"We'd need to navigate the transdimensional gateway the Doctor made," said Rose, "Can you do that?"

"I'll have to try won't I?" said the Doctor, "I have my own time line to get back to, my own Rose and Jack to save. I have to get back so that I can regenerate, I have to get back so that our children have a chance to exist in the first place. I know its hard and that I'm not him but I need you to trust me totally, like you used to, think of me as your Doctor."

Rose took his face in her hands, holding his gaze, "You have always been my Doctor," she said, "Even when you changed you were still there. I wish I had a picture of Jean, she has so much of you in her, almost identical to your mother. Those deep blue eyes, that long dark hair, that same stare. She doesn't understand why she doesn't look like me or the other you but one day she'll understand."

"As soon as we find her we'll tell her everything," said the Doctor, "Now shall we see what stupid modifications my successor has made to the console and see if I can't fly this thing and find our family."

The Doctor got to his feet and offered her his hand. Rose pulled herself to standing, not letting go once she was on her feet.

"Doctor," she said softly, "I'm glad, you know, out of all the regenerations it was you that came. I'm glad…I've always wanted to see you again with you knowing who I am."

"So am I," said the Doctor, "Come on, we have work to do Rose Tyler."

XXXX

The damage caused by the storm had been worse than Rose had anticipated and with a few well placed tuts and groans the Doctor had soon let her know that it would be some time before the TARDIS would be ready to go anywhere. Rose helped as best she could but she had never truly bothered to concentrate when now and then the Doctor had tried to teach her the delicate intricacies of the time ship, she preferred to be perched on the console chair, watching him as he worked. She had to keep reminding herself of reality as she watched his former incarnation get to grips once more with the ship, seeing him beneath one of the large grates, sonic screwdriver in hand or perched on the gangway above, the smell of solder and sparks reaching her senses. Several hours passed by in relative silence, only occasionally broken when the Doctor asked her to fetch certain instruments or tool. The tension in the room was almost unbearable, both knowing how far out of their time they were. Rose wondered how uncomfortable the Doctor must be knowing that the girl he at the moment only saw as a nineteen year old companion would one day be the mother of his children. Rose found herself fiddling with the engagement ring on her finger, keeping herself grounded to the man she loved now when all her thoughts wanted to turn to the man in the room.

The sonic screwdriver quieted and Rose looked up from her intent study of the material of her jeans to find the Doctor staring at her from the other side of the console. The icy, penetrating stare was more haunted than she remembered but then she had known his pain back then but all the bad memories, the sleepless nights when his nightmares took their toll, the pain at any mention of the war, all had been put aside in place of the smiles that she fondly remembered.

"I'm going to be a while," he said, "I don't know what kind of man I turn into but he's made one hell of a mess of this."

Rose barely concealed a smirk at the thought of the two men finally meeting, her old Doctor despised pretty boys and her new Doctor was particularly protective of his engineering prowess, "Don't change too much," she said softly, "He'll be like a bear with a sore head for a week if you alter everything."

"Moody git am I?"

"No change there," said Rose with a small smile, "I'll be in the library if you need me for anything although I suppose you know your way around ok."

"I'll manage," said the Doctor, "Now go on, you need to get some rest. I'll come and find you when we're ready to leave."

Rose nodded before heading up the steps to the main body of the ship. She paused at the top as she heard the sonic screwdriver buzz again and looked back down at him working. He was a lot more delicate with the console than she remembered, gently manipulating the intricate wiring rather than haphazardly attaching and detaching pieces from one another as she was used to now. She traced the outline of the diamond on her finger, feeling a single tear mark a path down her face. She shook her head as she turned back towards the corridor and began to walk away from the console room her mind wondering onto the dreadful notion of what she would do if they couldn't find her family.

The fire was still glowing brightly in the grate when she reached the library and she found the tea still warm in the pot. She flipped several switches on concealed behind the clock on the mantle and the mirror on the wall flipped to reveal a large television screen she had insisted upon them installing years before. She opened one of the nearby cabinets and flicked through the flimsy plastic strips that hung from tiny hooks inside. She had remembered Mickey's face when he had started travelling with them and asked to watch a film. The Doctor had directed him to the cabinet and Mickey had sat staring in bemused fascination at the contents. Rose had had less of a shocked response her first time, she had learned early on that nothing on the TARDIS was what it seemed and to expect their to be normal Earth DVDs in the cabinet was a sure way to be disappointed.

She took out one of the delicate strips, the small coloured dash on its edge showing her it was one that she was looking for. She pressed a few buttons on the television screen and held the strip to the reader. A small green light ran its length before beeping in recognition. She turned back to the cabinet and returned the strip to its rightful place before settling on the couch and picking up one of the many intricate remote controls. The Doctor's own twisting script appeared on the screen but a few well practised clicks altered the screen to English. Several thumbnail like images came up on the screen, each one a slightly fuzzy picture of what was contained inside each file. Rose scrolled through to one in particular and selected it. The screen darkened for a moment but then flickered into life, showing the beginnings of a very shaky recording of a metal grated floor.

Music rang out, some punky eighties band with a little too much love for synth. The camera righted to reveal the control room from the vantage point of the steps and an oblivious Doctor, wild hair sticking up at all angles, singing and dancing as he worked.

Rose's voice soon picked up, taking on the guise of a nature reporter who had just stepped into the habitat of a very skittish creature.

"And here you have it Mum, this is what the great Oncoming Storm is like when he thinks no one's watching. Seriously dodgy singing and even dodgier dancing. You wanted to see TARDIS life here you go. Just in case you're wondering, he's in a good mood because some planet that I can't pronounce the name of just made him a god because of his trainers and he now thinks he's the fashion guru of the universe."

The music hit an off key crescendo and the Doctor managed to throw it even further off key with his attempt. The camera began to shake a second before the sound of Rose's laughter echoed over the camera. The Doctor span round to face her with an expression of shock and embarrassment before looking decidedly sheepish.

"How long have you been there?" he asked.

"Long enough," giggled Rose, "Don't mind me, you keep doing what you were doing."

"Not until you put that evil thing away, wish I'd never shown you how to use it now," said the Doctor, the displeasure he tried to force into his voice completely betrayed by his smile.

The camera took several shaky steps down to his level but still kept a long enough distance back from him, "Keep going," said Rose, "We can get two hundred quid if we send a clip into that TV show back home. Go on, do the Doctor Shuffle."

"I am not doing the Doctor Shuffle," said the Doctor folding his arms over his chest, "I do not ever, ever, EVER do the Doctor Shuffle."

"You always do it when you're standing at the sink in the morning," said Rose.

The Doctor raised an eyebrow in defiance, "The privileges of sharing a bedroom and a bathroom can easily be revoked Miss Tyler."

The camera took a few steps closer, blurring slightly as it tried to focus on its close proximity to him, "Like you'd ever give me up," said Rose.

The Doctor looked amused as he scanned the form before him, "You actually got anything on underneath that thing you're wearing?"

"Only one way to find out," said Rose, "I want to see the Doctor Shuffle."

"Not a chance," said the Doctor, "I have the control of nine hundred years, I can abstain…Rose don't do that."

"What?"

"That thing with your top, you…oh bloody hell woman!"

Rose reached for the remote and shut off the screen as the camera crashed to the console room floor, filming nothing but the grating as the sound of laughter filled the air around it. She hastily pushed back the tears on her cheeks before pulling a blanket from the back of the sofa over her head. Only when the darkness completely surrounded her did she finally start to cry.

XXXX

"Rose? Rose, wake up, we need to get moving."

Rose groaned, struggling to find her way out of the cocoon of blankets she'd created around herself. She felt two strong hand manipulating the heavy wool, helping her free herself. She blinked in the semi darkness of the room, trying to focus on the figure above her.

"Rose take your time, remember where you are, what's happened," said the soft Northern tones above her, "You're safe though, I'm here with you."

"I remember," said Rose finally sitting up, rubbing her eyes and finding them sore from her tears, "Are we ready to go?"

"You've been crying," said the Doctor, taking her hand with little hesitation as she got to her feet.

She nodded, "I miss him, I miss him and I miss my children."

"We'll find them," said the Doctor.

Rose walked away from him, flipping the necessary switches and turning the television back into a mirror. She ran her fingers over the glass, looking at her own reflection and realising how odd it appeared next to the man behind her, "I wish he…" she began, "Before with the Idralas their were these little signs that told me he was alive, now there's nothing. If we're too late what happens then?"

The Doctor was silent, studying his boots rather than meeting her gaze when she turned to look at him.

"We should get going," he said before turning on his heel and leaving the room.


	9. Confessions

The flickering illumination chased phantom shaped shadows along the sharp ragged walls. In the distance something rumbled in the depth of the caverns, the sound of a beast hunting its pray, the sound of roaring magma wanting to break loose of its underground prison, the list was endless to the possibilities and none of them favourable. The sharp edges of granite like rock were damp and mildewed where small rivulets of water flowed from the vast roof above, causing an unholy stench of death and decay to permeate the smoke thick air. The lamps added to the fragrance, oil and rag, the stench almost choking but still breathable. Rocks tumbled now and then with the sound of a distant marching army in the silent stillness, clattering to pieces as they impacted with the solid ground.

Five soaked, lifeless bodies lay strewn around the cavern, some laying on their backs, limbs spread as if they were a child's doll chucked down in fit of temper, eyes tightly closed in unconsciousness. Some curled in on themselves as if lifted and placed from slumber, curled as if they were still wrapped safely in the warmth of soft woollen blankets. The acrid breeze that entered the cave from some unseen inlet brushed over the exposed flesh on every from, calling up every nerve ending and stirring the sleeping occupants. A slim pale hand reached behind its owner, searching for the blankets it would usually encounter and flinching when it met with damp, cold rock. A confused squeak echoed in the darkness as one figure began to awake, her long white nightdress failing to provide any warmth.

Jean sat up, rubbing her eyes with the heels of her hand as she tried to push the remainder of her strange dreams from her eyes. She blinked in the gloom, blinked and shook her head, blinked and stared around the cavern she found herself in. She let out a whimper as she saw the still sleeping form of her brother nearby. She crawled over to him, her eyes darting around her as she reached out to shake his shoulder.

"Addy?" she said, "Addy wake up."

"Go away Jeannie."

"Adric please something's wrong, I…"

"For God's sake Jean…What the holy Hell is this place?" cried Adric sitting bolt upright as he woke, "Jean what's going on?"

"What do you see?" she said, "Tell me I'm not dreaming this Addy."

"No it's real it's…DAD!"

Jean hurried to her feet as Adric raced across the room to where their father lay sprawled across a plinth of granite, his eyes closed and his breathing shallow. Adric took hold of the front of the dressing gown his father wore and shook him gently, "Dad? Daddy wake up please."

The Doctor's eyes slowly opened focusing on his son's desperate eyes above, "What's up Ad's? Why's it so cold it here?"

"Dad, what's going on?" said Adric helping him to sit and gripping his shoulder tightly as he realised his surroundings. The Doctor extricated himself from his son's grip as he got to his feet, scanning the room around them. He ran a hand into his hair, moving to and fro on the expanse of granite floor before him, muttering away in such a way that neither of his children could understand him. He turned back to them and hugged them both to him.

"You're alright, I'm with you," he said, "You're alright."

"Dad what is this place?" said Jean, "How did we get here?"

"I don't know," said the Doctor, "Everything's so fuzzy, there was rain and wind and the TARDIS and Jack. Jack, where's Jack? We need to look for Jack and for Jackie and Pete and Dom."

Adric looked up at him bemused, "What about Mum?"

The Doctor shook his head, his expression further away than the room he was standing in, "Your Mum's on the TARDIS she should be alright. We must be in some sort of cave, something about this place seems so familiar, its like a memory from long ago."

"Dad?"

"Of course I've been in that many caves they all start to look alike. The Idralas must have discovered us and that means that…"

"DAD!"

The Doctor turned back to his children, "What Adric?"

"What the hell are you talking about and what the hell is a TARDIS? Where's Mum?" said Adric, taking hold of his sister's hand as she trembled next to him and pulling her tightly to his side, "Dad what's going on here?"

"I…" started the Doctor looking between them both, "I'll tell you but first find everyone, your Mum's alright, she'll be alright. Adric, Jean you have to trust me ok? Just trust me."

Adric looked a second from defying him but then he nodded, "Alright but we're not splitting up, none of us."

"We'll stay together," said the Doctor, "Now get looking."

Soon two more bemused people were located and woken, looking around the place they found themselves in with worried expressions. It didn't take long for Jackie to come to her senses however and the sound of her palm striking the Doctor's cheek echoed off the walls like a clap of thunder.

"What was that for?" cried the Doctor cupping his stinging cheek.

"I don't know yet," said Jackie, "But I've got a funny feeling that all this has something to do with you! Why else would I be standing in a bleeding freezing cave in my nightdress? And where are Pete and Dominic, why aren't they here?"

The Doctor held his hands up in surrender as Jackie raised her hand to him once more, "Jackie stop it, you're not helping, I don't know where Pete and Dom are but we'll find them, I promise. Look every thing's getting a little bit clearer for me now. It seems that the Idralas has escaped from the confines my mother put him under and that something is happening in our old universe. Jack came to find us but the passage across the void left him with amnesia until the bump on the head in the living room woke them again. He came to warn us but it seems the Idralas found us before then. We were in the TARDIS but we got pulled out. The TARDIS saved Rose but she's on her own and I don't know what she'll be able to do even if she has got the TARDIS."

"TARDIS! TARDIS! TARDIS!" cried Jean suddenly, "What is a TARDIS? What is an Idralas and what do you mean by other universe? What are you all, aliens or something?"

The Doctor looked around the people gathered before speaking to his two children, "I am," he said his voice almost cracking beneath the confession, "I'm not human, I'm…"

"Wait!" said Adric, his eyes filling with tears, "Are you saying you're not our Dad?"

"Of course I'm your Dad," said the Doctor reaching out to both of them but stopping short of touching them as they both flinched, "Adric, Jean please let me explain."

The Doctor got no further before he was sent sprawling to the floor by the force of his son's fist. Jean's scream filled the room before the sound of the impending scuffle between Jack and Adric began, the American finally over powering the younger man and holding him still.

"Ease on down there Addy," said Jack, holding firmly until the boy began to surrender, "Getting punchy isn't going to solve anything."

Jackie was by the Doctor's side in an instant but he waved her off.

"I'm alright," he said gingerly sitting up, "I'm alright Jackie don't fuss."

"Its not alright Doctor," said Jackie, "You should have told them sooner I knew something like this would happen. Adric Jackson Tyler you apologise to your father right this minute."

Adric was looking down at his still clenched fist in dismay, tears already staining his cheeks at his actions, "If you're an alien," he said through the roughness of his tears, "And you're our father then that makes us…"

"Half Gallifreyan," said the Doctor, "You're half human, half Gallifreyan."

"But you look human," said Jean, "You're human. You drive a car, you've got a job, you and Mum you…does Mum know?"

The Doctor nodded, staring down at the granite he sat on, "She knows," he said, "She knows everything. If you'll listen to me I'll tell you as much as I can. My story is longer than you'd believe though and we don't have enough time for every detail."

"Gran is he telling the truth," said Adric, "Please tell me this is all a joke, please he…you…why didn't you tell us?"

"We wanted to protect you," said Jackie as Jack finally released the boy, "That was all, we wanted to protect you both."

"From what?" said Jean.

"Sit down," said the Doctor finally looking up at them again. The children both hesitated for a second before slipping down to sit on the ground, still a good distance from their father. Jackie slipped her hand into the Doctor's offering him the support she knew should have been coming from her daughter at such a time but offering it anyway.

"I'm an alien, a Time Lord," said the Doctor, "I'm from a planet called Gallifrey and your mother, grandmother and me are from a different universe than we live in now. My heritage I will tell you about when I have more time but your history and the secrets we've kept are what's important now. Your mother and I met when she was nineteen years old, she was working in a shop in London, very similar to the London you know. She helped me to defeat an alien that was hostile to Earth, she saved my life. I offered her the chance to travel in the universe with me. The TARDIS I mentioned is my ship, its also what you guys think of as the strange blue shed in the back garden. Rose accepted my offer and we travelled together, that's how we met Jack, not at college. We travelled on for a very long time and one day fell through a gap in space and time that brought us here, we battled a force called the Cybermen, the same Cybermen you studied in school. It turned out that there was a Pete and Jackie Tyler in this universe as well as our own except in our universe Pete had died and in this they did not have Rose. During the battle Jackie Tyler died and so did a man called Ricky Smith. Your uncle Mickey decided to stay behind in Ricky's place because to most people they were as close as one and the same man. Rose and I went back to our own universe."

"Why didn't you all stay here?" said Jean, the story for some reason not shocking her as much as she had expected.

"The breach was too unstable," said the Doctor, "And Rose had her mother back in our original universe, we had to go back. Your mother and I were so in love by then and we got engaged but not long after there was an invasion on our Earth, the Cybermen from this universe crossed the void along with creatures known as the Daleks. Your mother and I were pulled into the conflict and the only way we could win and save the planet was to suck the Daleks and the Cybermen back into the void between the two worlds. The problem was everything that had passed between the universes would be sucked in if not first secured in one of the universes. I wanted your mother safe from harm and sent her to the universe we had left Mickey in along with Jackie. I had to close the breach in the universes to ensure the same tragedy never struck again, I knew in keeping your mother safe I would never see her again."

"But you did," said Jean, "What happened? Why did you come over too?"

The Doctor smiled mournfully, "Rose was as stubborn then as she is now and she worked out how to reverse the teleportation between the universes. She came back to me and told me that she'd never leave me but that wasn't her choice. She bravely helped me with the opening of the void but the pull was too strong for her, she lost her grip and tumbled towards the void. The man you know as your Grandfather appeared a second before she fell and caught her, taking her over the void safely but she was lost to me, the breach automatically closed."

The Doctor felt Jackie's fingers tighten around his, an anchor to the reality rather than the torture of memories, it was enough to allow him to continue, "I travelled for decades alone, I had companions, people who travelled with me but I was so alone without your mother and then one day it fell into my power to come back to her. The explanation would take too long but we set up a way to travel between the two worlds and we did but then your mother fell pregnant. Our life was too dangerous for a child but we wanted our son more than anything and so we decided to stay grounded in the universe Rose had been trapped in before. Knowledge of your heritage would have made you vulnerable so we kept it secret, we were going to tell you soon, now that you're both old enough to make your own choices but it seems that our protection of you wasn't enough. I'm not entirely sure what is happening right now but an old enemy has found us and for some reason we've been brought here. Your mother can't fly the TARDIS so she can't help us but we can help ourselves, find out what we're dealing with and fight it. You two are Time Lord children and as such you are stronger than you even know yourselves to be but I need to know that you trust me, that you'll help me."

Jean looked at her brother who had been silent and steely throughout his father's confession, taking in his pale face and haunted eyes she wondered why she didn't feel the same fear he was portraying and then her mother's words from the night before struck her.

"You have a lot more of your father in you than you'll ever know…"

She looked up at the people around her, the caring compassion on her Grandmother's face that was rarely shown to her father in public. The grim set of Jack's mouth as he listened to a story he was both part of and so far removed from. Jean reached out to her brother and took his hand.

"You've always said Addy that there was more to us than being regular kids," she said, "You always said that there was something about Mum and Dad that was different from other parents."

"I'm not an alien," said Adric, "I'm human, I'm just a human."

"You thought Dad was just a human," said Jean, "But he's not and we're not and it sure goes a long way to explaining all the weird stuff that's been going on lately. He's our Dad Addy, alien or not and if it's the only way we can get back to Mum than we have to trust everything he says."

"I can't trust you," said Adric getting to his feet and glaring at the Doctor, " And I hate you right now but I want to find Mum and I want to go home so if it's the only way, I'll do what you say."

The Doctor got to his feet and offered his hand to the boy, "That's all I ask," he said, the pain at Adric's rejection plain in his voice.

Adric looked away, stepping further away from the group than before. The Doctor looked downcast but then, cool, pale fingers entwined with his own. He looked down at the young girl by his side, the haunting blue eyes she always sported suddenly brimming with nervous anticipation of some long forgotten story.

"Let's find Mum," she said.

XXXX

The TARDIS jerked and leapt erratically as it hurtled through the transdimentional tunnel between the two universes. Its occupants were both working frantically at the controls, one barking orders and the other attempting a death defying display of gymnastics as she tried to hold down at once all the buttons that he was telling her to press. Despite all her worry and fear Rose couldn't help but feel the exhilarating pump of adrenaline in her veins as the ship groaned and wheezed its way through time and space.

"Rose, the temporal stabiliser hold it down."

"The temporal what?" said Rose looking for anything that looked vaguely like what he had shouted to her.

"Yellow button to your left," he said, groaning as she reached to her right, "Your other left. Twenty years on and your don't even know the difference yet."

"Well usually I don't have quite as much to deal with when I think about it. Can't you hold something down?"

"Someone's got to pilot this thing," said the Doctor, "Do you want to drive?"

"You don't know how old that line's going to get!" huffed Rose, her grip slipping on one of the large metal levers, "Little help perhaps."

"Apes!" muttered the Doctor coming to her side and holding his hand over her own as he manoeuvred the lever back into place. Rose felt her back press against the firm wall of his chest as the TARDIS gave another lurch and his fingers tightened instinctively around her own. She looked up at him catching the expression that had always confused her in his old form, that deep concentrated stare that made her feel like she was the only thing in the entire universe.

"Thanks," she muttered, "I've got it now."

The stare was lost, his grip loosening hers as he moved away, once again falling into the familiar dance around the console as he piloted them over another rocky pocket of turbulence. The ship groaned under the pressure of the tunnel and sparked several times in protest.

"It isn't usually this rough," said Rose.

"I've never used this program before," said the Doctor, "I'm winging it, just hold on tight and don't let go of that lever now or we'll get shot right to the other side of the universe before we can say…"

"Raxacoricofallapatorius!" cried Rose with a whoop of laughter as the TARDIS took another swooping dip, "God I've missed this."

The TARDIS console began to beep their arrival and Rose braced herself for the inevitably painful lurch of coming to a stop in the middle of space. She steadied her grip on the lever as the Doctor came to her other side and began frantically tapping away at the main viewer screen, bringing the ship under more control as the effects of the transdimentional pull began to fail.

"Hitting open space in three, two, one…and a half!"

The ship gave one final hiccup and sent both her crew members sprawling back against the grates as she lurched to a halt in the quiet vacuum of space. Rose couldn't help the giggle that escaped from her lips and the ship finally stilled. She heard the same relieved laughter beside her and reached down to entwine her hand with his. He looked over to her and gave her that long remembered cheeky grin, the one that showed his love for adventure and his joy that she shared the same passion.

"Right!" he said springing to his feet and tapping away at the viewer, "Lets have a look where we are."

"Should be in the Eonoa System," said Rose, "Its about 40 light years from any of the space lanes, the Doctor didn't want too many people getting too close and trying to get through. There's not a lot but space debris' around here."

"And space debris include a completely inhabited third planet," said the Doctor stepping aside so that Rose could study the pictures on the screen before her.

"We must have over shot," said Rose.

"No completely the right place, Eonoa System."

"But the Doctor…"

"Doesn't exist," said the Doctor, fiddling with a couple of nearby switches, "Thereby any effects he put in place will not exist. The time tunnel remains because it is woven into the very fabric of space and time and traverses the void but nothing else he ever did exists now. He probably set up a radar block around here so that no one would come sniffing but with him gone…"

The Doctor snapped his fingers for effect and Rose flinched at the sound.

"So everything he did, that's just gone?"

The Doctor nodded, "This will be a very different universe to what you and I know."

"But the Earth, the invasions he stops, the lives he saves, the people he helps that'll all be altered, wiped out?"

"Unless the people found another way out of it sans Time Lord then yes."

"But if we find him," said Rose, "If he's alive and we stop whatever's happening then it'll all go back to normal."

"I don't know Rose," said the Doctor, "I don't know what is going to happen but some force threw you and I together and despite our differing histories now we can do this. Now then, I'll need your help to find my mother, her ship will probably be shielded so we won't be able to pick her up from here but if we can find a place where her TARDIS has been then that'll be a start."

Rose stood in silence for a second as she thought, "The gateway to the Idralas' realm. She parked her TARDIS there but it was hundred's of years ago."

"It's a start, co-ordinates."

Rose shrugged her shoulders, "She piloted."

"Then a long trawl through the nav computer it is then, hopefully my successor hasn't made as much of a balls up of it as the rest of the damn console."

"You do take self deprecation to the next level don't you?"

"Rose I take the very notion of self to the next level don't you think?" said the Doctor already more deeply engrossed in the computer read outs, "This might take some time. Rose what did your mother call you when you were little?"

"Rosie, why?"

"Love one, two sugars."

"What?" said Rose.

"Call yourself a Londoner, shame on you. Rosie Lee is rhyming slang for…"

"I'll get the kettle on," said Rose as he flashed her a satisfied smile before turning his attention back to the screen.

XXXX

They had tracked Dana from the place of the Idralas' realm, winding through space and time until finally they settled on a promising reading. Rose kept shooting anxious sidelong glances at the Doctor. Despite the cool exterior he kept Rose knew his head must be in turmoil, the thought of his mother being alive rather than dead as he had thought had thrown him for a loop and the prospect of meeting her was weighing heavily on him. There was little she could do to offer him comfort, the cocoon of self preservation he had always worn before his regeneration thickened by the events they had encountered since meeting again. Her Doctor had been hard enough to talk to in his more open state when they first discovered the truth about his mother but now, once again standing before her in his armour of leather and denim there was no chance of Rose simply being able to hold him as he cried.

Her fingers went again to her engagement ring, turning it until the friction left a tingling burn in the indent it happily sat in, the pain a welcome remembrance of reality for her. She heard the console give several beeps for attention and the Doctor turned to her, his expression haunted but closed.

"We've found her," he said.

"Open up a communications channel to her," said Rose, "I'll talk to her, she won't know your voice."

The Doctor did as she asked almost robotically but Rose still couldn't bring herself to say anything, only a year by his side and nineteen by her new Doctor's she had almost forgotten how she used to comfort him. She pushed the thoughts to one side as she heard the crackle of sub space of the radio before the connection was made.

"Dana? Dana can you hear me?"

The radio crackled some more until finally a familiar voice pierced the quiet of the control room, "Rose?"

"Its me Dana," she said, "We've been searching all over for you."

"I gave Jack the co-ordinates, is he with you?"

"Dana its best if we can talk face to face, some things have happened that I need to explain. Is there anywhere nearby suitable to land?"

"I'll send you some suitable co-ordinates, open another line so I can transmit them."

Rose looked over to the Doctor and he silently completed the command, the information instantly filtering through to them. Rose watched a frown appear on his face as he read them out to her.

"Ten, zero, eleven, zero, zero, by zero, two point one from Galactic Zero Centre," he said, his voice fading to barely a whisper as he finished.

"And that means?" said Rose.

"The Constellation of Kasterborous, exact co-ordinates for Parzithi Gallifreya, Gall…Gallifrey's moon. Its true, its back."

"Take us there Doctor," said Rose before turning back to the radio, "Dana I'm closing communications, I'll explain everything when we land."

"Stay alert Rose, stay in the TARDIS when you land, I'll come to you."

"Alright," said Rose, "TARDIS out."

The TARDIS lurched into flight and Rose gripped onto the edge of the console to stop herself from falling. She looked up to see the Doctor's face stony and drawn, nowhere near the joy she had seen before Dana had confirmed the existence of Gallifrey once more. She pulled herself around the console to him and took his hand in hers.

"I'm sorry," she said, "I know this is hard."

"You're coping with your loss," he said, "I can cope with mine just…"

"Just what?"

He squeezed her hand and she looked down at where they were joined.

"Just don't let go?" he said, his voice both questioning and pleading.

Rose squeezed back, "Never," she said softly as the TARDIS began to shudder in its materialisation cycle.

The ship settled with a soft groan and the rasp of the central column was replaced by the occasional deep rumble from the massive engines beneath them. Not long passed before the gentle rap came on the door that signified Dana's arrival. Rose went to the doors, the Doctor retreating back to the console seat. She opened the door a crack and peered out, noticing first the smooth copper of the moons surface before smiling at the space suited woman who stood before her. She stepped aside and allowed Dana into the TARDIS, noticing the Gallifreyan insignia on the black jump suit she wore. The woman all but tore her helmet off when the door was closed and let it clatter to the floor as she enveloped Rose in a hug.

"Oh my dear girl," she said, "Thank God you're here. Where's my Little One and Jack? We've got so much to get through and not much time we…"

"Dana," said Rose cutting the brunette woman off before she could go into the family patented babble. Dana looked at her quizzically before Rose extended a hand in the direction of where the Doctor stood, looking both distraught and elated in the same minute. Dana gasped in surprise as she took in his form, her hands beginning to shake with emotion as she took a tentative step towards him.

"But you…" she said.

The Doctor nodded words not needed between the pair despite the years apart they had had. Rose turned her face away in respect for their reunion as Dana took her son into her arms, she had no desire to see the naked grief that would haunt the Doctor's features. She heard the hushed Gallifreyan conversation, picking up a word here and there but not being able to understand the majority. She only looked up when she heard Dana's footfalls come towards her once more.

"I need to know what happened Rose," said Dana taking her hand, "Everything that's happened or all is lost. If they have the Doctor then they are half way there."

"Who?" said Rose.

"The Covenant," said Dana, "The grouping of the four souls of the Idrali. If the Idrali succeed not only will the future of this universe be at risk but the future of them all."

"Idrali?" said Rose, "I take it that's a rather sinister plural of Idralas."

"Unfortunately," said the Doctor, "But what do they need the other me for?"

"First I need to know how you are here and why the other Doctor isn't," said Dana.

"We found Jack but he couldn't remember what he had to tell us," said Rose, "Strange things had been happening for a while, my daughter having horrifically violent nightmares, finding Jack, increased Rift activity, finding the body of what seemed to be a Gallifreyan woman and then I found a drawing of Jean's that was of the Doctor in his Ninth incarnation, I knew something was wrong but then Jack called out, he'd remembered. He told us what you had said about Gallifrey reborn and the Doctor made the connections between us and the Idralas. We went to fetch the children to safety but then a storm took us, howling wind and rain. The TARDIS took hold of me but the Doctor and Jack were taken. I awoke to find the house deserted and then the Doctor as he is now found me, he's been pulled from his timeline."

Dana looked down trodden, "That was my doing," she said, "I knew the Idrali would try to take the Doctor unawares so I sent Jack to warn you but he was too late. I knew something was afoot so I tried to counter the spell they cast with one of the Gallifreyan ancients but I got it wrong, instead of saving the Doctor I must have pulled another of his forms from time."

"What do the Idrali need the Doctor for? And why wait so long?" asked Rose.

"They have had to build their strength," said Dana, "Thousands of years ago Rassilon and his kindred imprisoned two Idrali in the Eye of Harmony and it was kept hidden on Gallifrey. The Third had been imprisoned long before even Rassilon was born and the fourth was still free, that was the one we encountered. The rumours of the Idrali grew over the years and the President feared that it would fall into the wrong hands if left on the planet so they gave it to the one person who would almost forever be away, not telling him what it truly was that he carried."

"You mean I had them contained on this ship?" said the Doctor.

Dana nodded, "The library we found in the Cloister Room was installed by the Time Lords as a containment field for the Idrali as the were imprisoned in the Eye, that's why you never saw it before the remaining free Idralas slaved to your ship through its power. You were given the order during the Time War to release the Eye to destroy the Dalek threat but your commanders also believed this would destroy the Idrali and in part they were right, their atoms were scattered never to reform unless a certain surge of power should unite them again."

"Oh God," murmured Rose, "The paradox?"

"I'm afraid so," said Dana turning to explain to the bemused Doctor, "The Doctor as you will become took Rose to the site of Gallifrey, days after the final battle and he took her for a purpose, she was to go to you, to comfort you in your early need."

"But you never came?" said the Doctor, "I would remember you."

"Memory erase," said Rose, "I went to you and helped you through the first part of your recovery but as I left I slipped a program into the console that would erase your memory of me. We thought we'd avoided the paradox but clearly even my Doctor remaining on his own TARDIS was enough."

"The power the paradox created was enough for the Idrali and they reformed but not in their original images, they chose instead to mimic the Time Lords and Gallifrey was reborn, its people included but the was no natural evolution, the people are nothing but soldiers, drones. That's why they need the Doctor. To even attempt to capture him they needed at least three of themselves together and that's when the Realm was attempted, I had not the strength to fight the troops they sent in but I escaped, found my TARDIS and the rest Jack has told you. The Doctor is a true Time Lord and he has power over the past and the future and they can harness that," said Dana.

"But they've captured him," said the Doctor, "Surely were too late already."

"They're not at full strength," said Dana, "They could bring him to Gallifrey but not directly to their power, plus they could not pin point him exactly, they had to scoop up more than one person when their two original scouts failed."

"Belle," said Rose, "And that man we thought mugged me, both attempts to reach the Doctor?"

"So it seems."

"Then we still have time," said the Doctor, "How do we reach them?"

"They'll be on the surface," said Dana, "On Gallifrey but according to my readings the Idrali have managed to create something similar to the Transduction Barrier of old around the planet, we'll need to break through before we can attempt a rescue."

"And what about the Doctor and everyone else?" said Rose.

"We've got to hope that he works out what's going on," said the Doctor, "And that he can keep them all safe until we get to them. Now press down on the blue button and don't let go until I tell you, I've got to break down that barrier."


	10. The Hunt

The Doctor keep to the head of the group as they made their way through the deep caverns they had found themselves in. Their only light were several make shift torches they had located in the room they had woken in before but they were beginning to dwindle and there was no sign of a way out or Pete and Dominic. Jackie kept back with Adric who had yet to look directly at his father since his confession, the young boy's mind in turmoil in the change in his own identity. Jean was taking the confession much more positively and kept close to her father and Jack's side, enquiring now and then about her father's past and the differences between him and a human. The Doctor realised in talking to her that he had never taken as much time as he should of in making deeper studies into his daughter's intelligence and empathy, her characteristics were very much similar to his grand daughter's, a gentle, untrained intelligence that had the ability to become something great if nurtured.

When Jean fell silent at his side the Doctor continued to try to work out where they had been transported to. The cavern was familiar to him but he struggled to pin point where in the universe they could be. Jack's memories were still patchy and the only memory he had was Dana's warning that something was happening on Gallifrey. The Doctor was sure 'on Gallifrey' was more likely to be 'where Gallifrey was' but he was not willing to openly contradict anything until he could ascertain where they were. He cursed the fact that instead of being in his suit as he was in adventures of old he was dressed only in his nightwear, no sonic screwdriver or pocket full of gadgets at his disposal to make a more detailed study of the cavern's geology.

The Doctor paused, bringing the entire company to a halt as a faint sound came to his ears. He turned to the group, his finger on his lips to signal for silence. He nodded to a small crevice in the side of the rock that would be big enough to conceal them and ushered everyone inside, extinguishing the torches and leaving them in darkness. The fit was tight for the five of them but the Doctor did not let them move, his eyes straining in the darkness to see if anything would pass them by. It wasn't long until the footfalls that had alerted his attention began to grow louder, echoing in the silent cave. The rhythm was military, measured and exact and the Doctor was little surprised when the first thing that came into his vision was the end of two guns before their owners stepped into sight. The two troopers were dressed head to foot in black, their faces and heads covered with a wrap of the same material, their eyes the only thing visible. They continued their march passed the cavern, not stopping to notice the concealed Time Lord and his terrified family. The Doctor kept his eyes trained on them as they passed by, noticing the insignia on the back of their robes and having to bite his tongue to suppress the gasp at what he saw.

The Doctor pulled back into the crevice and pressed his back against the wall, his mind in turmoil and at a loss to explain the new developments in their ordeal. When the footfalls died away he felt a hand grip his arm before the whispered American tones reached his ears.

"What did you see?"

"Soldiers," said the Doctor, "Soldiers in uniforms marked with the seal of the High Council of Gallifrey but there's no way unless Gallifrey survived the war."

"I didn't ask the particulars from Dana before I came for you, she was frantic, just said the Idralas was doing something on Gallifrey," said Jack.

"None of this makes any sense. Gallifrey's gone, I went to the site with Rose and it was in pieces, everything destroyed and there's no way…Oh God!"

"Oh God's not good Doctor," said Jackie, "what's oh God?"

"There's stories," said the Doctor, "There were stories on Gallifrey in my boyhood that something known as the Covenant, an assembly of Idrali, was imprisoned in secret on the planet by Rassilon. I thought it was nonsense but if it was true then the explosion…no they would have been blasted to atoms, nothing survived but then it would make sense in a way, perhaps the power of the explosion was what they needed, the same way the Idralas needed the power from the Isolas but then why Gallifrey, why not an assault in their original forms unless…oh my head, its starting to make sense. The blast, their atoms were scattered but they found the power to reform but parts of the planet would be there also, they're fused to the planet."

"Doctor slow down," said Jack, "What exactly is going on here?"

"I have no idea," said the Doctor, his voice dropping a tone, "But I have a nasty feeling that those soldiers were looking for us. We're being hunted."

"Hunted?" said Jean, her voice trembling, "Why are we being hunted?"

"I'm not waiting around long enough to find out," said the Doctor taking her hand, "Everyone join hands, we'll have to move on without a light and I don't want to lose anyone."

Hands joined the Doctor led the small band from their hiding place, suddenly realising why he had recognized the cave, Borusa had transported him to the same place when he had tried to take the power of Rassilon. The Doctor paled at the remembrance of the time but one thing he knew, they had to go up.

XXXX

Rose sat on the console room chair, watching Dana and the Doctor work. She had been amazed at how easily the two had fit together, almost closer than she remembered her Doctor and Dana becoming. She had left them for almost half an hour when the Doctor had begun working, knowing that the Doctor had to hear the tale of his youth the same way her Doctor had before. Dana had come to look for her soon after, her face tear stained but happy. That's when Rose had broken down. Dana had enveloped her in her arms and rocked her as she cried over all the loss that surrounded her and the pain at having the man she had lost so close to her side once more, so much like the man she knew rather than the shell she had met at Gallifrey. Dana had been the same calm, understanding friend she had been when the Doctor had been stuck in the Idralas' realm, listening without comment and then offering the gentle advice that reminded Rose just how much her Doctor was like his mother despite their years apart.

A beep from the console pulled Rose from her reverie and she raised her eyes to the Doctor's face, hoping the study of its lines would give her an answer to some of her questions. He tapped frantically at the keyboard, intermittently frowning and then grinning as he processed the information before him. He turned to his mother with a warm smile Rose wasn't sure she had ever seen him wear before and nudged her aside from where she was working, flicking several switches.

"You need to look at the set up of your scanners," he said, "Look at the frequency of the Transduction Barrier now."

Dana stepped around him to the viewer screen, the text before her no problem to decipher, "I think I may," she said, "but what does it mean? Its not strong enough to stop anything coming in off the space lanes so why have it."

"Sun filter," said the Doctor, "When you mentioned the reformation of the Idrali being reliant on the power from the paradox and them using the planet there was something that triggered the old alarm bells and this is it."

"Like the Krillitanes," said Rose getting up from the console chair, "They've morphed from their original state too much and now they're allergic to the sun they created to force life to grow again on the planet."

"Krillitanes?" said the Doctor, "Sun allergies? Glad to see my new self didn't skimp on your education."

"Four years Prydonian Academy syllabus when I was twenty-five," said Rose, "So can you drop the barrier?"

"I can but they'll probably have other defences and it seems also to have some sort of low level telepathic link connected to it so any attempt to drop the shield will alert them to us and until we've ascertained what has definitely happen to the Doctor and the others we need to be careful," said the Doctor.

"So what do you suggest we do?" said Dana, "Can we go down there?"

"If Dana goes down they'll detect her as pure Gallifreyan and she could be as much use to them as the Doctor they have will be. I can go down, they've got their scanners set for him and I should register just as a shadow on them. Up here the barrier works in our favour, we're hidden. The TARDIS can't pin point any life signatures for the Doctor but my presence is confusing her, perhaps if I had something of his, something that's been close to him."

Rose lifted her hand to her chest before reaching down inside the shirt she wore and bringing a small stone amulet head on a leather necklace from around her neck. She held it up in front of the Doctor, knowing he'd instantly recognize it, "He wears this all the time now," said Rose.

"Perfect," said the Doctor, "Now if I can just get this scanner to work."

A small beam danced its way over the pendant before the TARDIS began to give a series of the most heart wrenching beeps Rose had ever heard. The Doctor fiddled with the controls, a plan of the planet's surface coming up on the screen before the TARDIS homed in on one bright, pulsing indicator.

"Got him, he's alive and on the planet. I knew he couldn't have been completely wiped from time," said the Doctor, "He's below ground, we'll need to take the TARDIS down there but I don't have enough time to fix the chameleon circuit on here to make us inconspicuous. Dana can I take yours."

Dana nodded, desperately attempting to hide the pain on her face at the fact that he did not feel comfortable enough to call her mother, "Of course. You'll need disguises though, the troops are uniformed like the old infantry guard of the planet."

"There should be some in the armoury," said the Doctor, "Unless any changes have been made."

"He never goes in there," said Rose, "Everything should be the same as you remember. What about the Idrali though? Finding the Doctor won't end all this."

"That's where the next part of my perfectly fantastic plan comes in," said the Doctor, "We need to go to the Cloister Room."

XXXX

Another collection of troops were gathered at the top of the path the Doctor had wanted to climb and he quickly led his small band back into hiding as the infantry troops broke off in search of them once more. They had been trying to reach the surface for hours but the increased numbers of troops patrolling the area made the path both slow and dangerous. The Doctor was still perplexed as to the reason for his presence on the planet with his family but he knew the answers would lie above ground rather than below it. The path was made all the more difficult by Adric's reluctance and volatility. The Doctor almost feared the look of disgust the boy occasionally threw in his direction and he knew all their stealth would be for nothing if Adric chose to give away their position as some sort of revenge.

The Doctor looked back at his charges to see them both exhausted and terrified, a deadly mixture that would lead to mistakes. Finding a suitable resting place would be impossible but the Doctor knew removing one of the problems would at least give them a better chance of escaping.

"We need to go back to that alcove we passed about ten minutes ago," he said, "You can rest there while I go on ahead, try to find a path that won't lead us into one of the platoons."

"You're not leaving us," said Jackie, "What'll we do if they find you, or us?"

"We're not going to find a way out if we keep going in circles," said the Doctor, "and on my own there's less chance of them finding me. I won't go far, just far enough to find a suitable path and then I'll come back. If you stay quiet they won't find you, I don't think its you they're looking for anyway."

"The Doc's right," said Jack, "You guys need to rest and he can take care of himself. If we can get out of this darkness then we might have a better chance of getting home. I'll take them back Doctor, you go on from here."

The Doctor nodded, "Kids?"

Jean wrapped her arms around her father's neck, almost strangling him with her force, "Promise you'll come back?" she said.

"I promise," said the Doctor, "You and Adric stay together, don't let go of each other whatever happens."

Jean nodded solemnly as she stepped back from him.

"Adric?" said the Doctor.

The boy remained silent despite Jean shoving him in the Doctor's direction. He refused to raise his head, instead studying the ground beneath his bare feet.

"Adric please," said the Doctor, "Just look at me, don't leave it like this."

The Doctor wished he hadn't made the request when Adric looked up at him with such venom in his eyes that the Doctor questioned the integrity of his remaining regenerations.

"You've lied to me for sixteen years," said Adric, "Go off chasing around caves if you want, if those things want you, if you're the reason we're here then I hope they get you, then I can go home."

"Adric don't say that," said Jean.

"You can go with him too," said Adric, "You can all go to Hell, you all lied to me, all of you!"

Without another word Adric pushed passed his grandmother, running over the rocky path with little care into the darkness beyond. The Doctor called out his name before telling Jack to stay with Jackie and Jean. He followed the path that he was sure his son had taken but the advantages of both youth and being head of his school athletics team left Adric with too much of a head start for the Doctor to follow. He continued further on but no sight nor sound could he find. He tried to clear his mind but all his perceptions were dulled by whatever power had drawn him to this recreation of his planet and he could not pin point the bright glimmer of light that was his son's presence. He finally came to a halt and leant back against the cavern wall.

"Adric," he said in the darkness, "I wish I…"

The Doctor closed his eyes against the threatening tears, his nails digging into his palm as he struggled with the battle between wanting to find his son and leading the others in his care to safety. To search for Adric would leave the others at risk of discovery without him and waste the time they needed to find out what was occurring but the Doctor also knew the terrors that lurked in the caverns and he could not be sure that they were not still out there, hunting and hungry.

"I'm not giving you up yet," said the Doctor to himself, "Not yet."

Turning back to where he had left the group behind he began to make his way back to them, once they were together they could search and then only together would they find an answer to the riddle that had them captive.

XXXX

"From one half mangled TARDIS to another," said the Doctor as he manipulated the very different looking controls of Dana's ship to those they had left with her on the TARDIS, "Can you hold down that lever for me?"

Rose nodded, still silently disconcerted at seeing him dressed in the black, jumpsuit like uniform they had dug out of the old TARDIS armoury. They had found two suitable for them, Rose insisting that she come with him to the surface. She had felt little difference in herself when she donned the military outfit and Council insignia but she had seen the effect it had on the Doctor. Although he had faced the final battle of his planet in the customary clothes of his eight incarnation Rose knew that he must have seen battle in the clothes he now hesitated to change into. Neither of them had chosen any weapons save for two unloaded guns to use as props in case they met with another patrol. They intended to rely on their wits and the small device the Doctor had put together as part of the 'master plan' that Rose still wasn't sure she understood. The Doctor carried something more deadly in the pocket of his jumpsuit and Rose prayed he never had to use it. Rose had been shocked when the Doctor had taken her to the med bay before they were to leave the TARDIS. He had opened a well concealed safe in the room and pulled out a small filled syringe of a odd bluey-green solution. He had called it insurance as he put it in her hand. Rose had questioned its use but she wished she hadn't. The solution was the same as what the Doctor had been led to believe his mother had been given to prevent her regenerating except this one was the real thing and as dangerous as believed. Rose had tried to put it back in the safe but he had stopped her, telling her that if it came to it she had to use it. The risk to them on the planet would be great and if the Doctor she was with was injured enough to begin the regeneration into his tenth form she had to administer the dose before the universe could react. Two Doctors in different forms were dangerous enough, two Doctors in the same form could be fatal for the universe. Rose had again refused and the Doctor had relented, placing the vial in his own pocket with a hope that he could use it himself if the need came.

Rose raised her free hand to her heart as her other hand held down the button he had instructed. The ship lurched and juddered but the trip to the surface was short and they were soon landing softly. The silence in the ship was almost deafening as the Doctor scrolled through the information on the viewing screen.

"We've landed above ground," he said, "This TARDIS' power supply is lower than mine…his and couldn't penetrate the surface. We'll have to find a way down on our own."

"Okay," said Rose, "Hopefully they won't realise we're here and we can get to the Doctor easily enough even if getting out is a little harder."

The Doctor threw up the hood of the uniform he wore, covering his head and face so that only his piercing blue eyes could be seen. Rose tried to adjust hers but the hook to hold the face covering in place refused to co-operate. She wasn't surprised when a gloved had took the material from her and fastened it with one well practised movement. She hoped the smile on her face was reflected in her eyes.

"Thanks," she said, "So, how do I look?"

"Aren't you a little short to be a Storm Trooper?" said the Doctor, a playful edge back to his voice now they were away from the pain of Dana's presence.

"Original!" giggled Rose, "Am I too short though?"

The Doctor shook his head, "No, you'll do. Never thought I'd see you dressed in anything like that."

"Never thought I'd see you in anything other than leather but stranger things have happened," said Rose, "Are you…Is it alright, you know, for you, going out there?"

"Its not my Gallifrey," said the Doctor, turning his face from hers so she couldn't see his eyes, "And the only way for my successor to have any chance of getting out he needs both you and me…well he needs one of us and I'm not letting you go on your own, not when you're…"

Rose had to suppress a giggle as he gestured vaguely towards her stomach. She could imagine the thoughts in his head, thoughts of the Rose he had left behind and his chaste affections for her. A moment of pure devilment came to her and she took the gesturing hand and laid it flat on her abdomen. He tried to pull away but she held it fast.

"The word you're looking for is pregnant," she said.

"I know," said the Doctor, "But you…do you and me…is it before or after I regenerate when we…?"

"After," said Rose letting go of his hand and feeling pleasantly surprised as he left it against her, "Not that long after though."

The Doctor nodded before taking his hand away, "He is pretty I suppose."

"Doctor?"

"Right then, no point standing here gossiping, time is money and all that, or in our case time is time. Best foot forward, we've got some people to save."

Cursing her own stupidity Rose followed wordlessly as the Doctor made for the TARDIS door, catching up the small bit of equipment they would need under his arm before stepping out of the doors. Rose came to an abrupt halt as she almost crashed into his back. The Doctor stood stock still at the door of the TARDIS, looking out over the scene before him. Rose stepped to his side and pulled the door closed behind her. Gone was the lush land she had seen as a representation of Gallifrey in the Idralas' realm, the place they stood in looked like a lonely, forgotten moor land, grass and bracken clinging to dirty outcrops of rocks. The place was walled on all sides by ragged cliff faces but it was the sight that loomed a few hundred yards from them that truly caught Rose's eye.

Standing like a lonely sentinel beneath the glow of the orange sky stood a tall tower, set into the rock face of the cliff. It swooped up on great buttresses of stone to a point dressed with an off centre crescent moon. Rose had never seen anything more terrifying and beautiful in the same heart beat, something about it seemed the thrum with power and knowledge despite being only a forced recreation, something about it said that real or not, destroyed or not the power of Gallifrey was an ever present force in the universe. Rose reached for the Doctor's hand beside her. His grip was harder than she was used to but even with his face obscured behind the uniform he wore she could see that the tower before them meant something to him.

"Rose," he said, his tone measured to hide its tremor, "Things just got a whole lot worse."

"Why?" she said, "What is this place?"

"Call me superstitious," said the Doctor, "But this place is very bad luck. In the days before Rassilon this place was an arena where the Time Lords would place people to battle one another for their amusement. Rassilon stopped it but this place was forbidden. Its name alone tells you to keep away."

"And that would be?"

"The Death Zone," said the Doctor, "this place is called the Death Zone and that the Tower of Rassilon and your Doctor is down inside its catacombs."

"Catacombs? How bad exactly are these catacombs?"

The look in the Doctor's eyes told her everything she needed to know before he even spoke, "Let's just hope he's realised where he is."

"Oh God, Doctor where are you?" said Rose barely keeping the catch from her voice.

One strong arm reached around her to pull her against the familiar two beat rhythm, "He's gonna be alright, he's me remember."

Rose turned her face into the material on his chest and groaned half in frustration and half in an attempt at amusement, "That's what I'm afraid of."

She felt the soft rumble of laughter beneath her cheek before she pulled back and took the Doctor's hand. With one final glance down at her he pulled her away from the well cloaked TARDIS and towards the tower, running across the bracken and dust to the gateway to the depths of Rassilon's tomb. Rose was sure she should be stumbling on the rocky ground but something about the grip on her hand told her that falling was something she would not be permitted to do.

When they reached the base of the tower Rose was more than a little out of breath and nearly doubled over in an attempt to catch her breath.

"You alright?" said the Doctor, not even breathing heavily.

"Yeah," said Rose straightening, "Just out of practice and I never ran much when I was pregnant with the other two."

"Your baby is half Gallifreyan," said the Doctor, "That development will take more out of you than a human child."

Rose came to his side as he took the sonic screwdriver to a lock in the rock face, "I know, third trimester was a complete wash out, I was barely out of bed."

"Bet you loved that," said the Doctor as the lock clicked free, "Could barely get you out of bed anyway when you were with me…can barely get you out of bed, gotta remember that the younger you is out there somewhere."

Rose followed him into beneath the archway, immediately disliking the stagnant surroundings she found herself in, "What will happen," said Rose, "When you get back? Will you remember?"

"I don't know," said the Doctor pulling a torch from his pocket and flicking it on, "Reason would say that something should make me forget, with all you've told me about my future anything could happen to change that path if I'm aware of it in advance."

"It'd be awkward to," said Rose, "The whole getting your companion pregnant thing."

The Doctor was silent but Rose caught the look he threw back at her and she was glad of her face covering as she blushed. She hurried her feet to catch up to him and slipped her hand into his, "I never knew you cared," she said softly.

"You never asked," said the Doctor.

XXXX

The Doctor was concerned by the coldness of Jean's hand in his, the girl was baring her situation bravely but her night clothes were proving little warmth against the chill and wet of the caves and the Doctor feared her health would soon start to suffer if he could not get them out of the chasms soon. Their first priority though was Adric but with a patrol at nearly every turn and several unsavoury shadows beginning to follow the scent the Doctor knew discovery by one or the other was soon to be imminent. Jack was struggling to help Jackie along, the path they had previously left had been treacherous and a wrong foot had set her falling and her left leg now proved a suitable advert against caving in a nightdress. In a change from her usual state however she bore it with grace, trusting in the Doctor as they searched frantically for Adric.

Jean pulled her father to a halt, the gravel almost giving beneath his feet as she pulled him back. He looked down to see the crevice he had missed in the blackness, deep and foreboding and definitely deadly if he had fallen. He looked down at his daughter in both thanks and amazement before easing his back against the wall, balancing on his toes to cross the thin ledge that bridged the gap. When he hit more solid ground he helped Jean and then Jackie across, pushing them behind him as he reached across the gap to Jack. The American took his hand and took a tentative step onto the ledge but his weight proved to much and it began to give. With an almighty heave the Doctor pulled Jack to him before the ledge could collapse, tumbling back against the hard ground but gratefully still holding on to his friend.

The Doctor opened his mouth to give some witty quip about Jack needing to stop all this falling over to get him on his back when a small whimper echoed up from the crevice below. Jack quickly rolled off the Doctor as they both peered down into the gloom. Jean nudged her father to one side, peering down into the gloom, gripping onto the rock beneath her knees.

"Adric?" she said softly, "Adric is that you?"

"Jean?" came the whimpered cry from below, "Where are you?"

"Above you," said Jean, "What happened? Did you fall?"

"My leg," cried Adric from beneath them, "I can't move it, the ground gave way and I fell. Please come down, I need you."

"I'm coming Addy," said Jean as she looked for a suitable place to climb down. She was pulled to her feet before she could even begin her descent. She looked up at her father in bemusement before relaxing her stance.

"I'll go first," said the Doctor, "Find a safe way down."

Jean nodded her agreement as the Doctor began to navigate the lip of the particular ledge. He gripped onto the edge, lowering himself slowly in the gloom, praying for a light as he had to search blindly for a foot hold. He breathed a sigh of relief as his feet came into contact with a slim but strong ledge barely two metres below the lip. He put his feet down before crouching to get a better view of below. The slope wasn't as steep and could easily be slid down if attempted with caution. He could see the outline of Adric at the base of the slope and quickly began to slip and slide his way down the rocky face, dislodging stones here and there but keeping as steady as he could.

The young boy looked up as he saw two feet appear beside him, squinting in the darkness as the Doctor bent down to him. Adric recoiled as the Doctor reached out to him.

"Addy please, just let me check you're alright."

"Where's Jean?" snapped Adric.

"She's up on the ledge," said the Doctor, "Let me look at your leg and then I can carry you back up, its not as high as it looks."

"I don't need your help," said Adric, "Keep away from me."

"Adric please…"

"I want my mum."

"Your Mum isn't here," said the Doctor, the frustration he had tried to hide creeping into his voice, "So you're stuck with me kid and alien or not I'm still your father and you'll do as I say, not let me see your leg."

Adric scuffled his way back from the Doctor, not caring as the gravelly ground cut into his hands, "Get the hell away from me," hissed Adric, "I don't want you near me, you're a liar, you lied to me. I can't believe what you made me, I'm a freak because of you."

"And what do you think your mother would say if she was here," said the Doctor, "Would you be this way to her?"

"At least Mum's human not some stinking alien thing!"

"Doc what's going on down there," came Jack's voice from above.

"I think you'd better bring Jean and Jackie down," said the Doctor trying to keep his voice as steady as he could, "The casualty wants a second opinion."

Before too long the clatter of feet and gravel echoed from above as the Doctor climbed back up the slope to assist Jack with Jean and Jackie's descent. The dim light marked out Jackie's years more than ever as the Doctor took her hand and he reflected with alarm that while she had been at his side through the whole of Adric's rejection he had yet to offer her one word of comfort over the fate of Pete and Dominic.

"Holding up?" he said as he helped her ease down the slope.

"I want to go home," said Jackie, "Is this what it was like for you and Rose, was this the life you led?"

"Sometimes," said the Doctor, "But other times it was beautiful."

Jackie looked at him with tear filled eyes, "Easy to forget beautiful in this place."

"We'll get home Jackie, I promise."

"You promised you'd always keep us all safe," said Jackie, her voice filled with remorse but no reproach, "Perhaps you'd best stop making promises. Go and help Adric."

The Doctor turned from her to see Jean and Adric in quiet conversation as Jack gently manipulated his foot and leg. Adric flinched occasionally but the Doctor could see even from a distance that he had survived any broken bones. He knelt next to Jack and tried to take over but Adric snatched his foot away. The Doctor opened his mouth to again reason with him but the sound of booted feet caught his attention. The group turned only to be met with two platoon soldiers, guns poised at their shoulders to prevent any chance at escape. The taller soldier cocked his gun to signify that the band should all stand. The Doctor turned to Adric and he knew the boy would allow him to help now that the odds were stacked against them. Once Adric was on his feet the Doctor turned back to the soldiers and raised his hands in surrender.

"Okay," he said, "You don't need the guns, we'll come quietly."


	11. Betrayal

The silence of the two guards as they marched them away from the side of the cliff and towards a more concealed tunnel was disconcerting. Despite his initial acceptance Adric had taken to leaning on Jack for support rather than the Doctor but for once the Doctor was grateful, he was free to think and act if necessary. The two troopers seemed to know the other's mind, weaving through the corridors of the catacombs without ever having to communicate with the other, only thing to pass between them was the fleeting touch of hands now and then that confused the Doctor more than helped him. The smaller of the two seemed a little more uncertain with the weapon she carried but the Doctor knew that to make an attempt on either of them would leave the group open to revenge. Instead he chose to keep his silence, bide his time until the final pieces of the jigsaw around him came into place and allowed him to help his family with no risk to their lives. He prayed it would prove to be that simple.

They had travelled a good twenty minutes below ground before the troopers herded them to a stop. The soldiers both took a unlit torch from the wall before lighting them and illuminating the small room like cavern. The taller of the soldiers nodded to his counterpart before she laid her gun on the floor, reaching up to pull back her face covering and shake loose her hood. A flash of gold in the dim light was the first thing to catch the Doctor's gaze but nothing more as the young soldier leapt into his arms, pulling him into a crushing hug. He pulled back in disbelief before pulling her more securely against him.

"Rose," he said as she clung to him, "How on Earth?"

"I have my ways," said Rose pulling back and placing a kiss on his lips, "I found you."

The rest of the group were silent with shock until Jean let out a yelp of joy and ran to her mother's arms. Rose hugged her young daughter tightly before turning to her son and holding her arm out to him. Her face fell as Adric remained at Jack's side.

"Adric its alright," she said, "It's really me baby, we're going to get you home."

Adric stayed silent and Rose turned her face to the Doctor, confused as to what had come over their son. The Doctor studied the floor, intent upon the small flecks of red dust amongst the gravel.

"I told them," he said, "And…"

"Oh Addy," said Rose turning back to her son.

"Did you know then?" said Adric, "Its true that you knew."

Rose nodded, "I knew," she said, "I know it's a shock but whoever your father and I are we don't love you any less."

"Oh that makes it alright then does it?" snapped Adric.

Before Rose could answer the yet unmasked trooper stepped forward and took her arm, "Rose there's not much time."

"That voice?" said Jack in amazement, "That's…"

The Doctor's expression had also turned to one of surprise, "It's not possible."

The masked soldier pulled at the material covering his face, a half smile revealed at the gasps of those around him. Jackie brought a hand to her head in shock while both the Doctor and Jack looked like goldfish in their expressions of surprise. Jean however could do nothing but smile.

"Its you," she said, before leaving her mother's arms to pull him into a hug, "From my dream, its you."

"I take it you're Jean," said the Doctor, his northern tones seeming almost out of place when in such close proximity to his newer incarnation.

"I am," said Jean, "But what's your name?"

"Jean this…" began Rose.

"Theta," said the Doctor, shooting a look at his younger counterpart, "I'm a…friend of your father's."

Rose smiled gratefully before she gently moved her daughter back from the Doctor, walking her over to where Jack, Adric and her mother stood, out of ear shot of the Doctor's two incarnations.

"I should be feeling this," said the Doctor looking up at his former incarnation and wondering why he'd never thought himself that tall.

"Low level telepathic interference, your senses are scrambled as much as mine. I suppose you realise we've got trouble."

"Nah I thought this was an incarnation reunion."

"Seems I develop a bit of a gob, do you want my help or should I just go home?"

"I have a feeling you can't do that otherwise you wouldn't be here screwing up the time line. How much has Rose told you?"

"Pretty much everything, she had to," said the northerner, "I've got a plan though but we need to get everyone to the surface, we've got the TARDIS up on Parzithi and Dana's TARDIS is out in the Death Zone."

"Mum's here?"

"Up on the moon. Look there's no time to say more. Just trust Rose and I, we've got all the bases covered."

"You forget that I used to be you and you NEVER have all the bases covered."

"Definitely get a gob."

"At least you lose the ears."

"And gain an unruly mop of imp hair by the looks of things, get a bit shorter and all."

"Hey!"

"Boys," said Rose coming between them, looking between the two, "God this is weird. We should get moving, send that transmission to Dana and bring out the Idrali. I've spoken to Adric, he's calmed down a little."

The younger looking man took her hand, his expression troubled, "I didn't want to have to tell him the way I did, no wonder he's freaked out."

"He'll be alright," said Rose.

"And you? Are you alright?"

"Both mother and baby are fine," said the other Doctor, "I've made sure she's been taken good care of."

"How much is this screwing with your head right now?"

"You need to ask? You're not ginger either, damn it, thought at least one regeneration would be ginger, would be fun."

Rose shook her head, knowing they would need to get moving before the real bickering started, entertaining as it would be. She tightened her grip on her partner's hand, "Right then, first you two need names we have the Doctor and we have John so the kids don't get confused, this Theta business is far too college and I know neither of you like it. Secondly, can we go please?"

The two Doctor's looked beyond shocked at the commanding tone Rose had taken on with them both but then both broke into their signature grins.

"So you get rude and she gets bossy?"

"She is soon to be your future self's wife and therefore I'm the boss, now shift we've got Idrali to deal with," said Rose, dragging them both down the corridor.

XXXX

They travelled on still for many minutes, the two Doctor's sometimes in conversation, their own language defying the translation of the TARDIS but strangely comforting to Rose's ears. Other times they fell into line with others of the group, the Doctor's ninth incarnation favouring Jack's company and on occasion Jackie while his tenth still tried in vain to coax some form of response out of his son. Adric himself seemed more agitated than any one in the group, stealing glances over his shoulder every so often as if he was being pursued. When Rose questioned him he would simply snap that he wanted to go home before lapsing back into silence.

They weren't too far from the surface but the transmission device they had to communicate with Dana was still too weak to get above ground despite both Doctors and a very knackered sonic screwdriver working some frantic overtime. It was Rose that caught the movement above them first, before either of the distracted Time Lord's.

"John?" she called out in a stage whisper, his alias tripping off her tongue with ease.

He turned to her, leaving his counterpart still working as he came to her side, "What's wrong?"

"I think I saw something move," said Rose, nodding her head to the cavern roof above and its concealed nooks and crannies, "Up there."

"What sort of something?"

"Large enough to be a Gallifreyan Soldier, " said Rose, "Fast enough too. Can you feel anything?"

"The telepathic field is still dulling my senses," said the Doctor, "We've been trying to over ride it but as soon as we do the Idrali will know where we are."

Rose shivered as a breeze ruffled through her jumpsuit, "We must be near the surface, its getting colder."

The Doctor's face however held little comfort as he watched the dance of the breeze across the loose fabric of the suit's hood. He took her hand firmly, "The breeze," he said, his voice low, "Is going the wrong way. Its coming from inside the cave."

"Then…oh!" said Rose, "You grab Jean, I'll grab Addy?"

The Doctor nodded as the group caught up to them and they both took hold of one of their children. Both Jackie and Jack saw the look on the Doctor's face and paled, instantly reaching for each other's hands.

"We've gotta move," said the Doctor, breaking into a run up the corridor, catching the other Doctor's arm as he ran and dragging him along too.

"What the…"

"Just move and quick, we've got company and its coming up fast."

Above them from every hidden shadow emerged one of the soldiers, armed and fast as they negotiated the levels above them. The entire group saw the trap before they ran into it but they couldn't stop, couldn't turn back. The high levels descended ahead and the soldiers with their military speed would reach the ground level before they could break for the surface. Rose felt something grab her arm and almost screamed but then she looked up into two haunted cerulean blue eyes and saw the pleading there. She felt the sonic screwdriver pressed into her hand and quickly concealed it in the folds of her uniform. The familiar hand slipped into hers when it was free and gave it a short squeeze before he left her side to run ahead, leading the futile charge.

Soldiers descended to their level, weapons drawn and forcing them to come to a skidding halt as they found themselves surrounded. The children and Jackie were soon pushed to the centre of the group, surrounded by those who had faced such traps and dangers before. Rose herself could feel the pull on her back from the awkward grip her partner had on her but she would not step back into the protection he was trying to offer. She looked up into the deep, brown eyes next to her, seeing his pleading but she shook her head. Pulling his hand from its grip on her back and entwining their fingers she offered him a soft smile.

"Together," she said.

"Together," he echoed, turning his attention back to their now statue like captors, "Why aren't they moving?"

"Good little soldiers," said Jack shooting a glance at the taller of the two Doctors and seeing the recognition in his face, "Waiting for their commander."

"Commanders," said the strong northern tones, "The Idrali."

"No no, not Idrali," came the lilting voice from the darkness, "Idralas shall be sufficient although if you do want to be specific, Cyka-Vind is what you should call me."

"Gallifreyan and Norwegian," said the Doctor, keeping his grip tight on Rose's hand, "Strange mix."

"Your machine's translation, not mine," said the voice, taking on the all too familiar form of a swirling cyclone before becoming more solid, "Perhaps she thought it appropriate what with you and your Rose's little yearly celebration."

Rose gasped as the creature took shape, morphing through the terrifying fiery bull she remembered from her time in its realm to a figure grotesque in its own beauty. Dressed in white high collared ornate robes she knew from her studies of the Gallifreyan high Council the Idralas stood as a man, long white hair brushing his shoulders before framing a perfectly chiselled but gaunt face housing two cruel, icy blue eyes. It smiled a feral grin.

"Darling Rose, how you've grown," it hissed.

"Leave her alone," said the Doctor stepping in front of her, still managing to look a menacing foe despite standing in his dressing gown, saving the universe in his pyjamas again.

"Or what?" said the Idralas, "You do not have your precious mother to protect you now boy, no weapons and as you see, I have the entire Gallifreyan Army at my disposal."

The Doctor looked disgusted at the Idralas' words, "They are nowhere near what you could dignify with the title of Gallifreyan. They are automatons, force grown drones in the image of a race you would live in terror of if it still lived."

"And yet it doesn't," said the Idralas with a small grin, "I wonder why, perhaps the one closer to the tragedy would care to explain that."

Rose turned her head to look at the other Doctor, hating the naked pain across his face at the Idralas' words before he pushed it down, his crystal eyes filled with fire rather than anguish. He stepped forward to his successor's side with an air of menace and defiance.

"You seem to know us too well already, I shan't bore you with the details."

"A man of few words," said the Idralas, "Not like your friend here…is that what you call each other in these situations, friend? Brother? Father and son? Now that's a relationship not to be broken, don't you think? Or father and daughter? I must say, we were quite pleased when we realised that not only did we have two Doctors at our disposal but also the infant. Oh the other two hybrids are expendable but the unborn we can nurture, grow to our aims."

Rose choked on the rising bile in her throat as Jack pulled her firmly behind him, silent and loyal in his defence of her. She turned her head in surprise as she heard a shout go up from behind her.

"No! You promised just him and the other one, not her, you said you'd send us home," cried Adric.

"Adric?" said Rose her gaze shooting between her son and the expression of horror on his father's face.

"He said we could go home Mum," said Adric with tears in his eyes, "He said if I led them to the two aliens then we could go home, they knew you were coming but we can go home, he said we could go home."

"You betrayed us?" said Rose, taking her son's hand and noticing the deep gash across his palm, "Oh God Adric what have you done?"

"He said we could make a deal, that if he had the two Doctors then we could have peace."

"And a deal done with the Idralas is binding," said Cyka-Vind, "though the interpretation may vary. Your mother may go with you boy, once your infant sister is ours, until then you are our most welcome guests here."

"You'll have no part of her," cried the Doctor before launching himself at the now laughing Idralas. He was sent down easily by a swift current of wind from the Idralas' hand.

"You should have learnt your lesson last time."

The other Doctor rushed to the younger man's side, pulling him to his feet, silent but contemplating. The Idralas gave a half crooked smile before waving in several of his troopers. They took hold of the two Doctor's, wordlessly searching pockets for any weapons. From the uniform of the older man they pulled a small box like device and handed it to their master. The Idralas examined the device and then laughed before tossing it towards one of his soldiers.

"Seems your plan failed, did you really plan to defeat us with that. A device as such may have worked when your people were strong and we were in our weakened states but no more. Your Eye of Harmony will hold us no more, Time Lord containment field or not. Now then, to business. Take the two good Doctor's to my brethren, the boy as well. You made a deal with the Cyka-Idralas Adric Tyler, its time to pay up."

"Leave him alone!" cried Rose before she herself was grabbed by two of the guards. She struggled in their grip but they held her fast.

"Rose don't struggle," said the Doctor, "I won't let them hurt him."

"Doctor?!"

"It'll be alright Rose," came the other voice, "We'll get you all out."

The others were soon captured and held; the soldiers dragging Rose, her mother, daughter and Jack one way and the two Doctor's and Adric the other. The Idralas' laugh echoed in the room as it turned once more to its cyclone form, dancing between the two bands before taking the head of the Doctor's group.

"Mummy!" cried Adric, struggling in his captor's grip, "Mummy I'm sorry!"

"Adric," said the Doctor, "Son look at me."

Adric's deep, dark eyes found his father's finding only concern in there depths.

"Adric you're going to be alright, I'm here."

Adric tore his glance away, back towards his mother, "I did it for us Mum!" he cried, "So we could be normal, they said we'd be normal, not alien anymore."

Rose couldn't answer him, her heart was torn between a mother's fear and the utter loss at her own son's betrayal of them over a mistake they had both made in his babyhood. If he had known who his father was it may not have stopped his resentment but it would have made him understand that by sacrificing the Doctor there would be no home left for them to go back to.

XXXX

The light that greeted them as they broke to the surface of the planet was almost blinding after the dark of the catacombs. Their captors released their hold on them but kept them circled, marching across the barren ground. The Doctor stumbled over the rough terrain, wishing he had some form of sturdy footwear on and seeing the same look on his son's down cast face. He wanted nothing more to reach out to him but he knew he would pull away once more, make the pain even worse and that he couldn't bear, not when he had not only his family but the totality of Space and Time to defend. His own life and trials would come later, when his other self had been returned to his time line. He turned to his counterpart, seeing the pain etched on his face at the view around him of the Gallifrey still painfully fresh in his memories.

"Hey," he said, catching his attention, "You ok?"

"Peachy," said his ninth form, "Nice work with the kid, I covered most bases but betrayal from your own son."

"He's partly yours…in a way," said the Doctor, "Its not his fault."

"I know. You got any ideas."

"Not yet, thought you were the one with all the bases covered."

"I lied," said the ninth with a shake of his head, "I promised Rose I'd keep her safe, get you home."

"We both know we shouldn't make promises like that."

"Its hard when its her though. You might want to look up."

The Doctor did as instructed and paled at the sight, whatever fate was before them coming into focus. A raised platform stood in the middle of the death zone, surrounded by large stone monoliths almost the height of Big Ben and just as wide. In the distance it was hard to make out anything else but the Doctor could imagine the etchings on the platform, the fires to be lit, the ancient rites to be performed that were so much stronger than the science the Time Lords had used to trap the Idrali in their weakness.

"You know how we've never believed in Rassilon's powers," said the Doctor, "Perhaps we'd best start making up for it because I'm fast running out of faith in our abilities. You only know as much as I do and there's not enough of us to cause any damage on a psychic level, perhaps if there was the five of us as before."

"Even by getting a message to Dana I doubt there's enough power in the universe to pull another three Time Lords from their time lines and not create a devastating paradox."

"Devastating paradox will be better than whatever they have planned for us and it'll be long term, very long term if they're willing to wait for…"

"Don't think about it, your daughter will not be harmed. If needs be I have some insurance our light fingered friends didn't stumble upon."

"What?"

"Best you don't know. Go and try to talk to Adric, he might not be showing it right now but he needs you, I'll try and get us out of here."

The Doctor nodded and left his side, jogging up to Adric under the soldiers' watchful eyes. The boy didn't look up. The Doctor reached a hand out to his shoulder but Adric shrugged him off.

"Leave me alone," he said.

"Well at least you're talking to me," said the Doctor, trying to keep his tone light, "Look Adric, I'm sorry you had to find out the way you did, your mother and I…"

"Don't you bring Mum into it, you've probably drugged her or something anyway."

The Doctor couldn't help the slight quirk of a smile that reached his face, "You do realise how ridiculous that sounds don't you? Do you think anyone could make you mother do something she didn't want to even if she was drugged?"

"She took you back, she was weak before."

"What?" said the Doctor, bemused by Adric's riddle like statement.

"Cyka-Vind told me about the whore, that French tart you were with when you were with Mum, the one you named Jean after. Where do you get off calling her that anyway?" spat Adric.

The Doctor grabbed his son's collar and turned him to face him, "Right then Adric you want to be told all the ins and outs, I'll tell you. Cyka-Vind as you call him is a liar and he wants us weakened by making us fight but I'm not going to let him. Jean was named after someone who was important to me but however you twist it she was not my whore, my lover or anything like that. She was a girl who died in love with what she thought I was and I mourned that. Your mother chose your sister's name, it didn't even come to my mind until she suggested it."

"That's not the only thing Cyka-Vind told me though, you disgust me, the things you did, the people you've murdered. You killed your own people and yet you rant and rave about the injustices when you see some country at war on the television and the deaths that occur."

The Doctor's face fell at his son's words and he released his collar, dropping his hands to his side and stopping dead in the barren space until a butt of a gun in his back made him move again.

"What happened with my people is different," he said finally, "I had no choice."

Adric looked up to the platform in the distance, "Neither did I," he said before he ran ahead a few paces in front and away from the conversation.

"Not very good at this father business are you?" came a northern voice to the Doctor's right.

"Just shut up and make yourself useful," snapped the Doctor, stalking on as the rain began to fall on the desolate plains.

XXXX

Rose landed with a bump against the hard ground of the deep cell that they had been taken to. She heard the startled thumps of her family following her in with the same force before the hauntingly familiar sound of Jack running at the heavy metal bars that were drawn across the entrance before a torrent of obscenities left his mouth. Rose hurriedly pushed up to sitting, reaching out for the stunned Jean who lay next to her, her cheeks dusty and tear stained. The young girl immediately came to her embrace, crying desperately as Jack's curses died down at the door. The soldiers marching back off into the catacombs. Jackie soon had her arms round both her daughter and grand-daughter, rocking them both as Rose too gave way to her tears. It was Jack's mutterings alone that kept them grounded.

"We gotta get outta here," he said, "The Doc…both the Doctors need us and we can't let them have the baby. Rose you know the most about those things, what can we do?"

Rose slowly released Jean from her embrace, pushing up to standing, "I don't know. I don't know what happened to defeat them last time, I never got my memory back and the Doctor never told me. Dana would know but those soldiers took the communicator the Doctor had and any psychic connections the Doctors could have with her are dulled too much by the transduction field."

"Right so no help from above but we can get out, break out?"

"I can try," said Rose, pulling the sonic screwdriver from the folds of her uniform, "The Doctor slipped me this before they caught us."

Rose went to the key panel on the door, set into the very rock of the chasm and clicked the sonic screwdriver on to the setting she needed. She felt her tears anew as the little device beeped a negative.

"Dead lock seal," she said sadly, "The sonic screwdriver can open anything except for a dead lock seal and you'd be amazed how many of those we encounter. I can release the key pad but then there seems to be codes and passwords but its all Gallifreyan and the translator is offline for the Doctor's language."

"Then we're stuck," cried Jack, kicking at the bars and instantly regretting it, "Bloody stupid, useless…"

"Jack!" cried Jackie, "Children present."

"Sorry Jean," mumbled Jack.

"'S ok," said Jean, calmer than she had been before, "Mum, you keep saying Doctors. You mean Dad and that Theta guy don't you."

Rose took a deep breath before nodding, "Yes, yes I do."

"And you don't mean Doctors because Dad's a doctor and Theta is too do you?"

Rose shook her head and took her daughter's hand, "They…oh God…Jean you have to realise that your Dad is different, he is an alien and his people are different to humans in lots of ways but one of the main things is that when they're hurt badly they don't die they change. Its called Regeneration and your Dad had to regenerate a long time ago because he got hurt and couldn't stay in his old body."

Jean simply nodded, willing her mother to continue.

"Now usually two incarnations of the same man can't exist in the same time line but your Dad is what is known as a Time Lord, he's the only Time Lord left in the whole universe and sometimes the laws of time can be changed for a little while. Two incarnations can meet."

"So that man," said Jean, "The one from my dream, he's like my Daddy. That's why I look like him."

"He's sort of your Daddy yes but he's not. You see he and I…I was a lot younger then and we were just friends and then he changed and I fell in love with who he became…no I told the person he became I loved him because he is the same man…oh this is so hard."

Jean smiled, "Its ok Mum, I get it. He's who Dad used to be but not the man who is my Dad. I just look like him because that's what Dad used to look like."

Rose nodded, "Is that ok?"

"Explains a lot," said Jean, "Explains why…"

"What Jean?"

"Why for the passed six months something has been singing in my head and why I can read Daddy's thoughts sometimes. I didn't want to scare anyone, I thought you would think I was mad but perhaps was it something to do with me being like Daddy?"

Rose looked on in surprise before kneeling on the floor before her daughter, tracing an intricate set of circles in the dust, one of only two patterns she had ever learned of her partner's script.

"Jean," she said, "Darling, can you understand that, can you tell me what it says."

Jean peered down at the design before shaking her head, "I don't think…wait," she said, kneeling down and tracing the dust paths, "Yes, its Adric's name. Adric Jackson Tyler but…"

"Jeannie," said Rose, "I think we'll be forgetting uni for you baby. I think it'll be a Prydonian Academy Syllabus because your Daddy told me a long time ago that one way to tell a potential Time Lady was her ability to read the ancient script with no training whatsoever."

Jackie stood, hands on hips, looking unimpressed by her daughter scrambling in the dust, "And how exactly is Jean being able to understand his squiggles anything to do with us getting out of here?"

Rose smiled up at her mother, "One, our Jeannie can read ancient Gallifreyan which means she'll also be able to read normal Gallifreyan. Two, the lock is in Gallifreyan and she can read it to us and three she has heard singing in her head which means she has a connection to the TARDIS and therefore if we can get to the surface we might just be able to contact Dana. Jeannie, do you think you can try, do you think we can work this lock out together?"

Jean nodded, smiling properly for the first time in hours, "I think we can do everything you said."


	12. The Riddle Key

Rose sat down against the bars, her brain playing over the sequence Jean had just read out to her and wishing she had her partner's skill with numbers. They had bypassed several codes already, one the formula for the radian of a circle, the other the volume of a trapezium but now she was faced with a string of numbers she could swear she'd never seen before.

34,21,13,8,5,3,2,1,1,0

The father of Lisa,

The sequence of scorn,

The N of the nothing,

Back in India born.

"Jack?" said Rose.

"No idea, never really paid much attention in maths to be honest, the teacher was hot," said Jack, "The numbers seem familiar though."

"Dad used to do things like this when I was little," said Jean, "He always said the answer was right in front of you."

Rose thought over the text again, cursing that she'd never passed maths at school and that the lessons the Doctor had later taught her had focused on the more advanced mathematics of the universe, if it had been asking her to quote the necessary calculations to safely circumnavigate a black hole she could answer but this was beyond impossible.

"The answer's right in front of you," said Jackie, "Its like that Da Vinci thing, that film that the Doctor dragged us to years ago and we got kicked out because he wouldn't stop chatting."

Rose's eyes widened in realisation, "Mum you are a genius! Jeannie read me the riddle part again."

"The father of Lisa, the sequence of scorn, the N of nothing, back in India born," read Jean, the text spinning before her but still making sense.

"God bless that motor mouth of your father's. I remember him whinging all the way through the film about how half the stuff they labelled as Da Vinci could not actually be proved to be his including the numbers at the beginning because they actually originated in India," said Rose, "If only I could remember what it was called."

"I'm still not with you," said Jack.

"Right in front of you," said Jean, "Like Dad says, swap the numbers round and it's the Fibonacci Sequence."

Jean's fingers moved on the keyboard as if it was a well practised exercise and the lock beeped an affirmative, another bolt loosening. Another puzzle leapt onto the screen, the Gallifreyan text interweaving before her. Jean took a moment to translate the text before reading it to her mother.

"The weaver of magic from the field to the purse and every tempted princesses' curse," read Jean, "Who am I?"

Rose groaned, "This is so your Dad's department. He's always talking in riddles. Weaver of magic? God where to start, wizards, warlocks, magicians, witches, I've seen them all and then some with your Dad but I've got no idea, for all we know these answers could refer to Gallifreyan people."

Jackie was busy tracing names in the dust beneath her, the P and D clearly visible even when she had scrubbed out the rest with her hand. Jack was clicking the sonic screwdriver on and off before his face as if the tiny blue light would suddenly shout out the answer to him. Rose tried to trace her mind back over the Doctor and their past but nothing came to her mind to answer the riddle. Jean was muttering to herself, tracing words in the dust, crossing them out, playing out anagrams, any words plays she could think of. Suddenly she let out a yelp of joy and began keying in her answer. The door beeped and another latch unlocked. Rose sat up in surprise.

"What was it then?"

"Not telling, " said Jean, "You'll have to work it out later, next one, another riddle. Why is a raven like a writing desk? That's Alice in Wonderland isn't it?"

"I think so," said Rose, "but I also thought that he never answered it."

"No he did," said Jean, "I remember reading something about it. The answer was something like 'because the notes for which they are noted are not noted for being musical notes' or something like that. Should I put it in?"

"We've only got two goes but its better than nothing," said Rose, "We don't have much time and god knows what's…just put it in Jean, we'll see what happens. Let's pray your father's chattering away and keeping them busy."

Jean tapped away at the keyboard once more her finger hesitating over the enter button before pressing down. The key pad beeped back a negative, meaning they had one more chance before all the bolts would lock once more and they would have to solve a new set of riddles.

"Damn it," hissed Jean, "I don't know what else it would be."

"Cigarettes," said Jackie suddenly.

"Cigarettes is why a raven's like a writing desk?" said Jack, "I don't think so Jackie."

"No its not the answer, I remember my Dad telling me the answer and he always smoked these cigarettes. I can remember him asking me why is a raven like a writing desk and telling me the answer later."

"And that answer was?" said Rose impatiently, "Hate to rush you Mum but the Doctor is going to be toast if we don't hurry."

Jean let out a whimper and Rose immediately reached out to her, throwing a look at her mother begging her to hurry. Jackie was muttering to herself, fighting with her memory for an answer.

"It was something about the spelling of raven, I remember that much. Oh what was it? I can practically hear his voice."

"Mum hurry please," said Rose.

"Alright, Jean try this," said Jackie, "The rest of you better pray. Because it can produce a few notes, though they are very flat and it is nevar put with the wrong end in front. Never has to be spelt like raven backwards though. Can you put that in?"

"It's a lot of words," said Jean, "And I'm not sure if I'm typing them right. Oh Mum what if we're wrong?"

"Then we'll keep trying until we're right. Come on Jean, this one and we're out."

Jean tapped away on the keypad, her fingers shaking as she put together the intricate patterns of a language she still could not fathom her understanding of. She hesitated once more over the return key but then pressed down, closing her eyes against the negative she felt was inevitable. The silence seemed to hang for minutes rather than seconds until the console beeped and the clunk of a lock slipping from home echoed in the vast chasm. The metal door swung open on its hinges and all four captives watched it in disbelief for a second before hurrying to their feet and piling out of it. Rose grabbed for several of the unlit torches and handed one to Jack.

"If we encounter any soldiers we just need to get passed them, there's no need for us to kill them. I've got a feeling they don't have a clue who they are anyway," she said, setting the pace that the others willingly kept.

"We're going to need weapons," said Jack, "Those soldiers had guns."

"Guns won't work on the Idrali," said Rose, "I've seen that Cyka-Vind creature in action before, it can morph into anything and its clever enough to make sure that the bullets in the guns are harmless to themselves. We're going to have to rely on whatever the Doctor and Dana planned."

"If either of the Doctors are still alive," said Jackie.

"They're alive," said Jean, "I know Daddy's still alive."

XXXX

The two Doctors and Adric had finally reached the giant staircase that led up to the plateau. All craned their necks in silence to try and catch a glimpse of the top but it was too tall and the sunlight even with the filter was blinding. They had travelled in near silence for nearly half an hour, any talking catching the attention of the guards and rewarding them with a gun in the base of their spines. A similar answer came to their stopping at the base and they were encouraged to climb. The Doctor saw Adric struggling to climb on his genuinely injured foot but the boy refused aid from either of his incarnations and carried on alone, relying more on his hands to pull himself up each punishing step rather than admitting defeat.

The steps were made out of wood and stone, both native to the planet but clear to the two Doctors that they had been force grown like the soldiers as the familiar thrum of recognition didn't flow to either of them as they climbed. A look passed between them that said more than words could express, they would need to take care, the integrity of the planet may be as reliant on the Idrali as the Idrali were on the planet. Despite the lack of communication both knew what they may have to do ahead, their first task would be to protect Adric from any harm and the second to defeat the Idrali with as little risk to the time line and the universe as possible, a simple theory but a difficult practice. The younger looking man stumbled on the difficult ascent, only to be caught by a tight, wind weathered grip. He looked up into the haunting blue eyes and saw them widen in surprise as they both felt the slight tremor of recognition in them both. The slight psychic link they had always experienced when in such a situation as now beginning to touch at their senses.

"They're getting distracted," said the older man, "You alright?"

"Yeah, remind me never to go rock climbing without some decent boots again though. Can you get a link with Dana or the TARDIS? I'm still too weak."

"Nothing yet," said the other, "Keep moving."

They continued to climb out in silence, occasionally orchestrating a trip or stumble to enable them to once again reach out to each other and feel the growth of their own natural abilities, it was the only hope they had left to hold onto. The climb came to an abrupt halt as they finally met with the top of the plateau, the vast wooden platform almost measuring half a football pitch in its side. Deep grooves were etched into the wood and the Doctor had little trouble in recognising the containment spell he had found in the hidden TARDIS library, the Idrali intended to use their own ancient magic against them and there was little they could do. In the centre of the platform stood the only metal to feature on the large monolith, a coffin like box stood upright and greatly reminiscent of the iron maidens of old Earth torture, the sides set about with spikes and chains capable of drawing the blood the Idrali would need.

"After you," said the Doctor to his predecessor.

"Thanks, you wit is truly helping the situation. What do you think it is?"

"Bad news."

"And Rose actually agreed to marry you?"

"And aren't you just pissed about that. What do you think it is?"

"No idea."

Any further conversation was cut of as the cyclone of Cyka-Vind swept up to the device and took its human form from the cave once more. He lay a hand on one of the smaller standing stones that circled the contraption and a faint buzz seemed to fill the air around them, thrumming with power. At first it seemed an illusion but before long it became apparent that some viscous liquid was seeping from the stone to pool at Cyka-Vind's feet. Once it had pooled considerably the Idralas bent down and pressed a finger to the centre of the puddle before stepping back.

"Awake sister," he called to the air around him, "Awake Cyka-Vann."

The tiny puddle raised up into the ebb and flow of a small wave, gradually growing taller and taller, raising in its centre and spilling down the sides, foaming white at its base in contrast to its deep, ocean blue. With one final pulse of the water the wave like creature shook, casting droplets all around before in its place stood an elegant female, dressed in dark blue robes akin to those of Cyka-Vind but her features more feminine and her hair a light shade of blue rather than the white hair of her brother. She took a hiss of breath before opening her heavy lidded eyes.

The Doctor stumbled back in surprise as she turned his gaze to him. He had heard the cliché of eyes that it was possible to fall into but Cyka-Vann's eyes had a hypnotic pull he had never seen before, it was if all the ocean's of the universe raged behind her azure stare. He closed his eyes against the sight and when he opened them again her gaze had turned enough to render her powers weaker against him. His relief was short lived however as Cyka-Vann turned her attentions to Adric, the boy having no defences against her power.

"This is the boy?" Her voice sang like the crash of the ocean.

"It is sister," said Cyka-Vind, "He has made a deal with the Idrali and gifted us the two of the same as you foresaw."

"Then it is time. Awaken our brother," said Vann, "It is time that we cleared the path for our forebear."

Cyka-Vind moved once more to the rock from which he had awoken his sister and once again the stone began to weep the same viscous liquid into a pool at his feet. The ritual began again but this time their was no great torrent of water but in its place a great rumble and shake around the plateau and then an explosion of rock and dust into the air that could rival any volcanic explosion in its ferocity. The dust cleared to reveal another humanoid form, this time dressed from head to foot in glittering black, its hair a deep russet and its eyes flashing a flawless emerald green. While its two counterparts' hands appeared with elegance beneath the sleeves of their robes this creature had a more claw-like grip, its hands dotted here and there by glittering mounds of mineral deposits.

"Cyka- Verden by any chance?" said the Doctor.

"This one knows me," came the great rumbling response, the vibrations like a earthquake beneath the plateau.

"Well its not exactly hard to work out," said the Doctor stuffing his hands into the pockets of his dressing gown and scuffing his feet against the wooden stand, "I mean we've had Cyka-Vind and all his cyclones, we've had Cyka-Vann and her phenomenal water trick, you must teach me that one some day, must be a real ice breaker at parties…"

The Doctor noticed his counterpart's confused expression and lightly nodded his head back in the direction that they had come before continuing his rant, stepping around the Idrali and turning them away from the view of the tower of Rassilon.

"I mean we only had two choices left being as you guys are sooooooo original," said the Doctor, "We've had wind, we've had water, stands to reason we should have either Earth or Fire and after your little Vesuvius reconstruction and the lack of charred wood work it wasn't exactly hard now was it, Cyka-Verden, hmm? Only question is will it be more New Years Eve or Mardi Gras when your brother arrives? Or sister? Strange elemental family member that's taken on a sex purely for representation purposes, turns up? You're saved her till last so I'm sure Cyka-Varme must be an utter scream."

While one Doctor continued his distracting speech the other had looked back and seen a sight which filled his hearts and hopes higher than he could have wished. Ant sized but clearly recognisable from the distance emerged four figures from the depths of the catacombs of Rassilon's tower. He saw the flash of gold as their leader came to a halt, noticing the great plateau set in the landscape and prayed that she would make the right decision for them all. He breathed a sigh of relief as she turned away from the plateau, leading her charges towards the TARDIS concealed in the rocky outcrop not two hundred yards from where she stood.

"Good girl," he whispered softly to himself before turning his attention back to the Idrali, surprised to find his successor still holding court.

"…you see, I love those great big fireworks, those ones that you think are going to be so inconsequential when they go up in that little stream of gold but then BOOM! This great big explosion of gold and red and every other colour glittering through the air. They're fab so if you want to impress me get your sis to do a bit of that because so far, parlour tricks really, not exactly top notch for such an ancient powerful race as the Cyka-Idralas or could that be because you're weak. The fact that your very existence is based on the transduction barrier holding the planet together and if anything pulls that down then you'll just disappear like that," said the Doctor clicking his fingers for effect just as the grating rasp of the TARDIS beyond started up, echoing in the stadium like valley of the Death Zone.

"The carrier is escaping," hissed Vann.

"That's no way to speak about my future wife," said the Doctor, "Shame on you."

"It matters not sister," came the rumble of Verden, "We can cultivate the other."

The Doctor tried in vain to get between Vann and Adric but he was soon sent crashing into a wall of solid granite that leapt up between him and his son. His ninth incarnation faced an equally painful fate as a strong gust of wind smacked him full on, sending him tumbling a good way down the stone staircase.

"Adric!" cried the Doctor, "Adric resist her please."

The boy was beyond hearing the calls of his father, hands out stretched in trance as he stepped towards the beckoning hand of Vann until her smooth white grip curled around his wrist pulling him to her side with a ferocity that shook him but he still did not react. The Doctor wrestled against his granite cage but to no avail, seeing the unconscious form of his ninth self sprawled upon the steps below, a small vial having rolled from his pocket, half concealed beneath his arm but still visible.

"Think about this," said the Doctor, "Rushing into things and using Adric won't work for you. You need Time Lord DNA in your composite form to enable you to have dominion over time. Adric is only half time lord and weak at that, he's sixteen, too old to properly cultivate but me and my previous form, we're strong, pure Time Lord and if you use me first you will have three of my lives and then four of his, much more useful than the boy. Let him go."

"What is this plea?" said Vann to her delicate brother.

"A sacrifice made by such forms as this, emotion filled, an offer of one life for the sake of his infant. A pitiful plea but a true one and a willing Time Lord is better than an unwilling," said Cyka-Vind, "Vann, hold on to the boy, Verden release him."

As soon as the granite prison turned to dust around him the Doctor bolted to his predecessor's side, seemingly checking him for injury but secretly grasping the small syringe and deftly opening it one handed. He took a breath and begged a silent forgiveness to Rose before digging the needle into his palm and pressing the plunger. He bit his lip to stop the yelp of pain that wanted to escape him as the formula fought to enter his veins where he hadn't had time to inject it properly. Fire raged in his palm before spreading through his body as the solution took over his blood. He pulled out the small syringe and stood, crushing it to dust against the rocky step.

His counterpart began to stir but he knew nothing could be done now, he would be the sacrifice for the universe, the final resting place of the Idrali. He walked as calmly as he could over to Cyka-Vann and his son, noticing the boy's still entranced expression. Knowing there would be no reaction he pressed a kiss to Adric's forehead, feeling one tear break lose and fall onto the tufty hair below.

"I hope one day you'll forgive me for this," he said to the boy, "This is all for you."

He straightened and stared up into the icy blue eyes of Cyka-Vind, holding himself as tall as possible and praying he had the strength to follow through with his plan.

"Ok," he said, "Do what you have to do."

XXXX

Rose was glad Jack could still remember how to pilot a TARDIS after so many years away from the controls as they hurtled from the planet's surface and up towards the moon. A frantic call to Dana enabled them to slave to the Doctor's TARDIS and materialise in its control room as a cabinet rather than outside, negating the need for time stealing fumbling with space suits and oxygen masks to pass between the two. As the ship finally settled Rose shoved opened the doors and ran to the Gallifreyan woman's arms, frantically explaining their escape and the loss of the device the Doctor had intended to capture the Idrali with. She was shocked when Dana released her that Jack was soon in the woman's arms, both of them crying as they clung to each other.

"I forgot you," said Jack, "I'm so sorry, I screwed up."

"No I screwed up," said Dana, "But there's still a chance Jack, there's still hope."

"What chance?" said Jack, "You said we had one shot, you said…"

"There's still a chance," said Dana, bypassing the look of utter amazement on the face of her yet to be introduced grand-daughter, "You remember before Rose whenever the Idrali enter form of ritual they become distracted and from what you say of the surface below they are as reliant on the transduction barrier for survival as anything else. If we can distract them enough then we could maybe disable it totally and destroy them for good, scatter them to atoms and prevent any power reaching this place again."

"But they will be aware of us," said Rose, "They would have heard the TARDIS taking off and they'll be waiting for us, they know I won't leave the Doctor behind, either of them and Adric is down there too."

"Then surprise is not our friend but we can still beat them by now both Doctors will be aware of what they are planning and formulating plans of their own and I have a few tricks up my sleeve. We have to try Rose."

Rose nodded running her hand over the console, feeling the ship mumble her agreement back through her fingers. She glanced up at the dishevelled appearance of her mother and daughter and then to Dana's TARDIS standing inconspicuously in the corner of the control room.

"Dana and I will go and help. Jack I want you to take Dana's TARDIS and take Mum and Jean to safety, away from the planet because I've got no idea what will happen if its integrity fails. Go to Earth, we can only hope that with both Doctors pulled from time that it is still some form of safe haven."

"But Rose…"

"No buts Jack, I know you love the Doctor as much as I do and I would give anything for you to be by my side but I can't fly a TARDIS, you can and you can protect Mum and Jean if needs be. Dana and I have to face the Idralas, this fight isn't for you."

"Then we'll all stay with you," said Jackie puffing herself up and trying to look brave, "Because much as I want to constantly kill him that damn Doctor is family and right now I haven't got an awful lot of that left, I won't abandon either of you now."

"Mum…"

"Gran's right Mum," said Jean softly, "Daddy always said the best way to face something was side by side with the people you love, I don't want to go away. Please Granny Dana, make her listen."

"You know who I am?" said Dana.

Jean smiled, "I know a lot more now than I did three hours ago and you look like Dad as he used to be."

Dana looked perplexed for a second but then her expression settled into a knowing smile, "Quite the observant one aren't you my dear? Rose they clearly want to help and what the Doctor says is true, although it might not seem so there is strength in numbers, whoever they are."

"Alright," said Rose, "But the second anything starts to go wrong you…"

Rose was cut off by the piercing screams that echoed from both Jean and Dana. Jack caught the girl while Rose took hold of Dana as she slumped against the console.

"Daddy!" cried Jean in agony, "Daddy!"

"What's happening?" cried Rose, "Dana what's wrong?"

"He's…oh Rassilon what is he doing?"

"Who?" said Rose, desperately trying to keep the Gallifreyan woman on her feet.

"The Idrali, they have him and they're hurting him, we haven't got much time," said Dana, pushing Rose off and struggling round to the main flight controls, the sweat beading on her brow in her effort to stay upright, "Jack I need you to help me."

"What are we doing?"

"Going to the surface but we need to pinpoint the Doctor, land exactly where he is. Before the TARDIS had a DNA patch on him, try and locate it in the systems," said Dana, "Jean darling, I want you to run down the corridor with your mother to the library and bring me the first book you are drawn to. You will know which one my darling child, trust me. Rose don't question me and take her."

Rose nodded wordlessly and took her daughter's hand, leading her into the depths of the TARDIS. The ship rasped and scraped as is struggled slightly against the transduction barrier, Dana's usually skilful piloting marred by the pain in her head. Jack programmed in the DNA patch once he had located it and the ship lurched, pinpointing the Doctor and heading for him. Rose hurried back into the control room with her daughter at her heels, clutching a large leather bound book marked with the Doctor's elegant script.

"Good girl," said Dana, "Now everyone, pray we're not too late."

XXXX

The Doctor was finally coming round from his encounter with the stairs but there was a big part of him that wished he hadn't. He knew the second he saw the tiny glass fragments by the side of his head that his successor had done something phenomenally brave and equally stupid and that was before he sat up to see said successor being forcibly shackled into the coffin-like device. Adric still stood entranced, not even noticing his father's struggles but the Doctor did and he also noticed that he was not struggling enough to want to get free. He realised his plan too late though as the three Idrali joined hands and surrounded the coffin, the Doctor still struggling in their midst, the sleeves of his dressing gown doing nothing to protect his wrists from the bite of the shackles.

The blood began to flow freely from his now marred ankles and wrists, the Idrali breathing in the light red vapours their chanting began to create. The Doctor looked on as his successor looked up from his struggling and caught his gaze, a moment of understanding passing between them. With the Idrali distracted the Doctor made his way over to Adric and took his shoulders firmly, managing to manoeuvre him without complaint, for once thankful for Vann's spell over him. Instinctively he turned the boy's face into his shoulder as the three Idrali reverted once more to their elemental forms, wrapping the coffin in a cocoon of rock, water and wind. The cyclone grew upwards until its pinnacle hit the start of the glimmering transduction barrier. It torrented back down, bringing with it such charges of power that even the sun seemed to dim beneath its brightness.

That's when the Doctor screamed, every fibre of his being penetrated with the searing heat of the static charge the Idrali had pulled into him. His cries were deafening, agonising, shaking the very foundations of the planet with their desperation. The Doctor clung tighter to the boy, thanking whatever goodness there was in the universe that he had not the mind to witness his father's sacrifice. The chanting of the Idrali continued, the beat of their hearts beginning to echo like an army of drums as the final part of their ancient ritual began.

Each monolith surrounding the plateau began to light and pulse, drawing up the power from the centre of the planet and conducting back down the power from the barrier, every elemental force of nature coming together in the torture and sacrifice of one man. The blood began to pool around the base of the coffin, seeping into the fissures of the containment etching and spreading out like a macabre river touching each of the small stones surrounding and catching each alight until the plateau began to burn with an eerie green fire, swirling and dancing as the smoke joined the cyclone of the Idrali elemental forms.

The Doctor's body looked almost spent, marred everywhere that could be seen and everywhere it could not with deep lacerations that freely flowed, feeding the Idrali and their wanton need. Heaving breath and barely struggling the Doctor's body slumped, his hair flopping to cover his eyes as he gasped lungful after painful lungful of the burning, choking smoke. His screams died but not for long, changing from a cry of agony to one of determination as he raised his head. The Idrali all shrieked in pain as the power they were directing towards him was turned onto them, circling their hearts and pulling them towards the coffin, towards the half dead body they had thought to control. They tried to pull back, to pull away from the determination of a creature many millennia younger than them but one more connected with the planet they stood on than they could ever be as he used it against them.

The sound of the TARDIS rung out over the screams, materialising painfully slowly beside Adric and his protector. Rose was the first out of the door, closely followed by Dana and Jack, the others finally promising to stay within the TARDIS' confines for safety. It was Rose's scream that rang out now, joining the pained shouts of her partner and the shrieks of the Idrali. She ran at the coffin but an unseen field pushed her back, scorching the jumpsuit she wore but she didn't register any pain, only turning to her friends behind her with a plea for aid.

"The stones, move the stones," said Dana pointing to the rocks at each intersecting line, "It'll break the chain and end the ritual."

A cool hand gripped Rose's wrist before she could do anything and she stared up in horror into the familiar haunting blue eyes.

"Let me go," she said.

"You can't help him," said the Doctor, "He's doing what he can to stop them but you can't save him, do you think I wouldn't have tried if there wasn't hope?"

"What do you mean?" cried Rose, "Let me go."

"He injected the solution I had, he's dying Rose whatever you do."

"He's not dying," hissed Rose, "Not while I have any strength left to help him and you won't stand in my way."

Closing her eyes against the pain it gave her she wrenched one hand free from his grip while the other came round in a determined slap, sending him reeling from her at her force. She turned back to the Idrali and their ritual, throwing herself with all her might against the force field and managing to break through. She headed for the nearest stone, grabbing it but failing to move it from its place, her hands swimming in the blood that surrounded it.

"Rose…"

She looked up as she heard her name whispered from behind her. She turned to the coffin, seeing the Doctor's slumped body but his eyes were turned to her, aware of her.

"Transduction barrier…"

"What?" she said, "I'm getting you out."

"Drop the barrier…now…and get away."

"I'm not leaving you!"

"Go!" cried the Doctor before barely concealing a scream of agony, "Go! Please!"

Rose choked back her tears but did as he commanded, throwing herself back through the field and dragging Dana back into the TARDIS, throwing switches as if she had been born to.

"We need to drop the barrier," she cried as the Doctor and Jack both came in behind her, "All of you, drop the barrier and then we get him out of there."

The TARDIS groaned in protest as it struggled against the commands being made of it, sensing the pain of the Doctor still held captive outside. She began to shake and trill as the screen showed the barrier breaking and Rose ran out to the plateau once more. The Idrali had once more wrapped the Doctor from view in their elemental cyclone, blocking him from view as they shrieked and screamed their essences being pulled from the world they had created by the sun they had grown to force life anew on the surface. The air thundered with energy and clouds gathered at the pinnacle of the cyclone, roaring and crashing as time and space warred with one of its most ancient foes.

Rose threw a hand over her eyes as the cyclone pulled down the great monoliths surrounding the platform and swept them into its heart. Shards of granite tore at her clothes but Rose did not return to the sanctuary of the ship behind her, peering through the small gap in her sleeve at the wailing twister, watching in awe and terror as it swept further and further into the air, screams echoing over the din. She looked up as three floating pairs of eyes stared down on her in hatred, one ice, one cerulean, one emerald before one final scream echoed as the cyclone was sucked towards the sun like a comet pulled to the Earth. The silence that followed was deafening.

Rose listened to her heart as it hammered in her chest, her breath as it rattled in her lungs, the slump of the body falling from its coffined prison. She looked down to see the Doctor laid face down on the plateau, his dark flyaway hair concealing the deep lacerations on his face. She hurried to his side, her heart telling her that no being should have so much blood in him as it pooled around her. She fell to her knees and scooped him into her arms, her heart flying as he took a rasped breath. She smiled down at him, smoothing down his hair.

"You did it," she said softly, "You won."

"Rose," came the pained rasp, "I'm sorry, I can't…"


	13. Stay With Me

Adric snapped from his trance as the crescendo of his mind dulled to nothing. He looked around for the first time in ages to find himself far from where he remembered. The last thing he could recall was the plateau and the beautiful Vann but then nothing but her stories, the stories that had told him how right he had been to do what he had done. He looked around himself now, seeing the coral like structure, the dimpled walls, the flashing console, his sister with eyes filled with concern and worry as she looked at him.

"Adric," she said softly, "Can you hear me?"

Adric nodded, not trusting his voice just yet.

"Adric we need to go outside, Dad's hurt but I didn't want to leave you."

"Don't call him that," said Adric, "You don't know what he is."

Jean looked down trodden, "Think what you like. I'm going to him."

Adric followed his sister from the TARDIS, seeing the people gathered around the two figures huddled on the floor, their faces grey and sombre at the scene. He saw his mother cradling the unmoving body of his father, blood staining them both and tears on both their faces. He could hear his father's strained voice, rasping and ragged from the strain even breathing put on him.

"I'm sorry Rose," he said softly, "I've failed you all."

"How have you failed us?" said Rose, "You won, they were destroyed when we opened the barrier."

"That's what they wanted," said the Doctor, "I saw it a second after the barrier began to fail, I saw it all. They planned everything."

"What do you mean?" said Rose, trying in vain to press ripped shreds of her uniform to the cuts bleeding on his chest.

The Doctor looked away from her to the group, beckoning his younger incarnation over. He willingly came and knelt down next to the pair, shocked when his successor grabbed his hand in a vice like grip.

"You need to stop him," said the Doctor, "You need to find a way back to your time line and you need to remember everything you've learned because you need to stop him ."

"Stop who? You're in pain. You defeated them, there's no more to be done."

"You don't understand, there was only three because they wanted to release the forth who Rose trapped in a black hole years ago. They knew everything that would happen, they knew that Mum would pull you here to help, pull you from your time line and therefore me from mine. I do not exist and my actions never happened. Cyka-Varme, the final, the first, the elemental creature who came before the universe as I know it was born will escape because everything I have ever done has been wiped from time."

"You mean…" started Rose but she trailed off as the Doctor groaned in agony, "Krop Tor?"

"Krop Tor," said the Doctor, "All this has been planned since the day we first encountered the Idralis. The had more dominion over time than we knew, they saw things when they were trapped in the Eye, Vann and Verden saw everything that could be and orchestrated all of this. I thought if I could hold them, without regenerating that every part of them would be destroyed but they sacrificed themselves and now I'm leaving you to face this on your own and I'm sorry Rose, I'm so sorry."

Rose cuddled him closer to her, looking up into the eyes of his predecessor and praying for him to contradict the terrible truth but his expression was as pale as hers. They had none of them even considered how possible it would be for him to return to his time line but to return and not wipe his memory of the event would alter time so much that it wasn't even a possibility and with the Doctor he would become dying with no hope of regeneration there was no chance of the time line being restored any other way.

"Rose…" came the rasped voice, "The children."

Rose bit her lip to stop her tears, "Please tell them to come over," she said to the Doctor's ninth form, "And…try…"

"I will," said the Doctor, "Keep him still."

Rose smoothed back the Doctor's hair as his shuddered in her arms, holding on to life with every ounce of strength he had left but Rose could already feel the failing beat of his hearts. She looked up as Jean knelt down beside them, looking calm despite the sight before her.

"I'm here Daddy," she said, "I'm here."

"My girl," he said softly, "If only I knew before with you. I know it was you that got everyone out, my bright, beautiful girl."

"Daddy please just…"

"Jean," said the Doctor, his breath catching in his throat, "Jean you can ask me anything in the universe baby but please don't ask me to hang on, don't ask me to make a promise I can't even try to keep."

Jean was silent as she leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, "I love you," she whispered over him, "And I forgive you."

The Doctor arched as another spasm of pain took him, "Where's Adric?"

"He won't come," cried Jean, her breath juddering with her tears, "They did something to him Dad, he says you never wanted us, he says they told him you didn't want Mum or us."

"Don't ever believe that," said the Doctor, he breath rasping more and more in his lungs as his body gave in to its injuries, "And tell your brother not to. I have done things I wish I never had but you are not one of those things."

Jean bent her head in acknowledgement before she was lifted from the floor by Jack, cradled like a babe and carried from the pain of witnessing her father's closing moments. The Doctor was grateful for his friend's foresight, not knowing what would be the sight of his final passing. He looked up to Rose, seeing her tear stained cheeks and being reminded all too vividly of their last good bye.

"I love you," he said softly.

"Don't say that," said Rose, "You say that and you won't come back."

"Rose…"

"I won't let you die."

"Darling if I could stop this I would but you've got to be strong," said the Doctor, wincing as he moved his hand to her stomach, "You've got to take care of them now."

"She needs her Dad too," said Rose, closing her hand over his and holding it firmly against her, "More than anything."

"I'll be there just not where you can see me, would you…"

"What?"

"Freya, call her Freya."

Rose nodded, "Please don't leave us."

"Nothing can stop that now Rose, I wanted you safe and I've failed but you've got to be strong, you need to help him get home, perhaps then you'll all be safe."

"But how can it work, how do we go on if he runs your time line again and changes things?"

"He'll know what to do but it will mean that even if he succeeds we'll never meet again," said the Doctor, "I'm glad though, glad that I'm the first to go because I was scared of watching you die. Can you forgive me that?"

Rose held him close and buried her face against his neck, "I've nothing to forgive you for before but I'm never going to forgive myself for letting you leave me. Doctor I…"

Rose pulled away as she felt the deep shudder of his body. She looked down at him to find his eyes closed, his face pale and lifeless. She held her fingers to his pulse point but already knew what she'd find. Her hand began to shake as she felt the tears start to roll down her cheeks.

"No," she said softly, "No not yet. You…you didn't wait for me to say it."

"Rose?"

Rose looked up to see Jack standing above her, his hand reaching down to her shoulder.

"No," she said turning back to the Doctor, "No you've got to stay with me, this isn't how it happens, not to you, not so quietly."

"Rose let him go," said Jack, "Let him rest."

"Jack he's not meant to go like this, not without…something. I didn't even tell him I loved him."

"He knew," said Jack, "Rose I'm sorry there isn't much time, we need the power from the trans barrier to even have a hope of getting the other Doctor back to his time line and its fading fast. Say goodbye and then we need your help otherwise the universe loses and he died for no reason."

Rose nodded solemnly before bending down to the man in her arms and pressing a kiss to his lifeless lips, "I love you," she said softly, "Jack will you help me carry him?"

Jack knelt down beside her, slipping his hands beneath the body and making to lift it. Neither of them knew what had thrown them back against the wood of the plateau and they both hurried back to their feet to see Dana cradling her son's body against her but her face was not one of anguish but of rapt concentration. She closed her eyes, pressing her fingers to his temple and muttering to herself, rocking his body like an infant.

"What's she doing?" said Rose, her heart still numb and unable to process any emotions, "Dana what are you doing?"

"Rose step back," came the northern tones behind her, "You too Jack get back, get back from them or you'll…oh God! Turn your eyes away everyone, don't watch this."

Rose ran to his side, instantly pulled into a familiar embrace, her face hidden from whatever was before her, "What is she doing to him?"

"I never knew," said the Doctor, "I never knew."

"What?"

"She's a Time Witch," said the Doctor, "That's why she never aged when she was with the Idralas, that's why she knew what they were doing, she's the only one left."

"Left? Left of what," cried Rose, "What's she doing to him? Let me see."

"Rose keep still for God's sake," cried the Doctor, "She's doing what she can but she's too late, there's nothing she can do. No power on Gallifrey can…"

"What's that noise?" said Rose as the sound of something rushing passed at high speed came to her ears, "Who is she? Doctor!"

Rose struggled in the vice like grip, trying to wrestle herself free to see what was happening. She felt cold, dead, as if nothing in the world mattered since his eyes had closed. She could hear herself screaming his name, begging for release, to be able to see what was being inflicted on him now. Was Dana one of the Idrali's tricks? Was anything before her real or a horrific nightmare? Reality was blurring around her, time warping to a shape that she had never felt before. She felt the strong double beat against her as she was held to the firm, flat chest, the familiar scent no comfort to her. She could hear the muttered, deep northern tones, lips that had never uttered a prayer tracing one against her hair.

She heard a pained shout go up behind her but its voice was female, familiar but altered, aged. She wanted to turn. Magic didn't happen, rituals with stones and blood didn't happen, men like the Doctor did not die so silently on planets that had long been deceased. With more strength than she knew she had she pushed out against her protector and his grip on her failed. She pulled herself upright and turned to see nothing more than two huddled figures suspended in time. Everything around her was still and silent, even the man she had just parted from was motionless, frozen. The silence deafened her. She tried to move and found her limbs felt as though she was swimming through honey, even the very outline of her form seemed to blur. She choked as she could no longer feel her own heart beat, everything was suspended. Her mind span, unable to understand what was around her. She felt herself swaying, the huddled figures merging to a blur and then splitting to form more than one image. She swayed once more before giving in to the blackness, not even feeling the wood of the plateau as she collided with it.

XXXX

Everyone always remembers the darkness, not the dreams before, not the hours of silence without feeling or thought, just the darkness and that little floating voice calling out in the distance, calling a name to awake from slumber. Its like walking through fog when all you can see is a small beam of light from some hopeful shelter, struggling through the dimness with only hope that there is no danger in your path and that there will be arms to catch you if you fall. Two such sleepers were being woken thus, the frantic cries above them a long way from the peace of the black.

Touch comes next, the feel of cool skin on exposed flesh, the feel of breath against a cheek as the name is whispered closer in a hope of coaxing the sleeper to wakefulness with the semblance of intimacy, secrecy and reassurance. Its enough to chase away the deep black and bring back the darkness where the colours of before still dance.

Rose stirred and forced open her eyes to see the concerned face above her. Reality rushed back to her in a minute and she felt the tears in her eyes anew but they faded when she saw the expression of quiet joy on the face above her. She wondered if she had not herself died and woken in a more joyous place but as she reach up to trace the sharp cheek bones, the prominent nose, the thin lips, the closely cropped hair she knew by touch alone that she was yet alive. She looked up bewildered at the Doctor's expression.

"What happened?" she said, her voice croaking.

"Something I never thought I'd ever see, there's someone who needs to see you," said the rich northern tones, wrapping themselves around her like an anchor. She allowed herself to be lifted into the secure embrace, noticing the smiling faces of Jackie and Jean and the irritable pout of Adric. She turned her face away as she realised she was being led to the sight of the Idrali Coffin and whimpered into the familiar shoulder. She tried to resist as she was lowered to her feet and felt the laughter against her hair.

"Just look down, don't be afraid."

She did as she was told and almost fainted once more at the sight. Jack sat propped against the coffin and in his arms, listless but awake sat the Doctor, his hair manically dishevelled the only thing to show that he had ever endured any hardship. She saw Jack smile at her reaction before shifting himself from beneath his friend, pillowing his head on the rolled up dressing gown he had shrugged off.

"We'll leave you two alone," he said as Rose knelt down in disbelief next to her partner. She reached out a tentative hand, not wanting to touch him and break the spell.

"Its ok," said the Doctor, his voice cracking but clearly his in its delicious London tones, "I'm real."

"How?" said Rose as her fingers found his hair and then his cheek before she let herself fall into his embrace, "How?"

"Love," he said softly into her hair, "Just love and a whole heap of Gallifrey."

Rose pulled back and pressed a kiss to his lips, "Now I know its definitely you, no one else talks in such riddles. What do you mean love? You died, you gave yourself that stupid drug and you died."

The Doctor nodded, tears in his eyes, "And then she saved me."

"Who?" said Rose, "What happened? I remember, I remember Dana and…where's Dana?"

"Here," came the cracked, ancient voice Rose didn't recognise.

Rose turned to see the woman behind her, her hair white as new fallen snow and her skin aged and wrinkled yet still beneath the now heavy brow twinkled two piercing blue eyes. Rose knew her jaw had dropped at the sight but could do little about it as the shock took her.

"D…Dana?"

"Yes my darling its me," said the old woman, "I'm sorry I couldn't tell you what I was doing but there was no time, I had to time the spell perfectly."

"Spell?" said Rose, "What did you do? He was dead and you were…"

Dana smiled, "Even when we left the Idralas' realm I never told you both the complete truth. My youth was not maintained by the Idralas' power, it was maintained by my own. I was born many centuries before Rassilon came to power and I lived amongst the people of Gallifrey silently with my sisters. We were a legend, the Coven of White Light, the Time Witches, those who had the power before Rassilon or Omega found the secrets of time travel. We only had one life but we would reincarnate rather than regenerate, always regaining our powers but not always our memories. Gradually our coven became more and more secretive, the Council chasing us and wanting us to serve them. When I was born into this body I had forgotten much and my sisters were so disbanded that I had no one to tell what my powers meant. That's when I made the wrong choice with the Idralas and the rest you know."

"But he was dead and you saved him, how?" said Rose, unable to believe anything before her eyes.

"I learned much about myself when I was waiting in the silent realm of Cyka-Vind and I learned my magic once more. I have the gift to take away such pain and injuries that afflicted my Little One but it has shortened my life considerably but it is a sacrifice I would make again."

Rose could feel the tears welling behind her eyes, knowing the power of a mother's love and that there was little doubt over Dana's statement. She looked down at her partner and saw his smile.

"And the regenerations?" she asked.

"Still intact," said the Doctor, "You're not rid of me yet."

In a flash of blonde and black Rose swept across the Doctor's body to envelop Dana in a hug, mindful of her now more fragile form, "Thank you," said Rose, "Thank you so much."

"One thing you should know though," said Dana as Rose released her, "Although my powers are not hereditary and never can be they can explain in part why some are more connected to their home world than others."

Rose looked up as Dana nodded towards the smiling figure of Jean, her hair tumbling freely in the breeze washing over the plateau, her form silhouetted against the back drop of the Tower of Rassilon.

"My own little Time Witch," said Rose, opening her arms to her daughter. Jean ran to her mother's embrace before falling down into her father's, cuddling him as close as possible.

"Adric," said Rose. The boy looked away kicking at the ground.

"Give him time," said Jackie.

"Speaking of time," said the uninjured Doctor, "Its time I went back, I have my own Rose and Jack to get back to and a time line to restore but with you alive it shouldn't be as hard as before, your echoes will come back. I shan't have to remember to follow the right path. Cyka-Varme will be caught in the limbo it creates."

The other Doctor struggled to his feet, gripping onto Rose for support, "We'll need to be in the TARDIS," he said, "I'll need to draw the remaining energy from the barrier to create enough power and the planet won't hold once that happens, Gallifrey will disappear once more."

The older man nodded, "That's as it should be. The soldiers all disappeared when the Idrali were destroyed so there's no people to worry about, just the shell."

"Do you really have to go?" said Jean getting to her feet and tugging at the black uniform the Doctor wore, "Can't you stay a little longer?"

Rose and the Doctor walked passed into the TARDIS, closely followed by Jack, Dana, Jackie and a reluctant Adric, leaving the two alone. The Doctor smiled down at the young girl who was to become his daughter, taking a strand of her long dark hair between his fingers.

"I have to go now," said the Doctor, "Its not my place here and you have your own lives to get back to."

"I've got a lot to thank you for," said Jean, "Meeting you, its like I know Dad better now because I know what you're like."

"He learned from the best," said the Doctor, "You'll have to promise me you'll ask your Dad to help you study our ways, you've got a lot of potential to do something wonderful in the universe."

"I promise," said Jean, "Will we ever get to meet you again?"

The Doctor smiled, "Only if your Dad manages another monumental screw up," he said, "And much as I would like to look in on you from time to time it won't be possible but you'll be alright kiddo."

"I'll miss you. You saved our lives."

"Its my job and I've got a lot of passed sins to make up for, if this helps a little then I'm glad I was brought here."

Jean pulled him into a hug as the younger Doctor poked his head out of the TARDIS door.

"Hey you two, we haven't got much power and the barrier won't last long."

"We're coming," said Jean, "Remember me."

"I can't," said the Doctor.

"Just until you forget then, promise you'll remember me Dad?"

The Doctor looked both shocked and elated at the title, "I promise Jeanne Antoinette."

Still holding the Doctor's hand she led him into the TARDIS where her father was programming the magnificent machine. Jean looked around the great structure once more, amazed by its size and beauty. She knew later would be the time for explorations of the ancient ship, for all the questions to be answered, for Adric's deep sadness to be confronted and repaired but right now she knew that her family had a job to do. She watched on as her father shouted various commands around the room to different people, all of them working around the ship with ease, even her mother looked at home at the controls of the time ship. It wasn't long before the noise of the process died down, only punctuated by the rasp of the central column. The other Doctor who had headed into the centre of the TARDIS came back, dressed in black denim and a leather jacket. The time had come for goodbyes.

Adric remained sullen and snappy when he was told to say goodbye to the man who had helped to save his life but the others were more affectionate towards the Doctor. Jean was shocked to see the hug her own father gave the man, despite being one and the same person, treating him as if he was a long loved friend. The other goodbyes were just as warm, Dana kissing him fondly and smiling when he finally called her mother, Jack promising to see him again soon even though he would never remember, Jackie tapping his cheek in a mock slap that had them both laughing. It was Rose though that proved the greatest shock to Jean. In full view of her family and partner she pulled the tall, dark man to her, pressing her lips firmly against his and telling him in no uncertain terms that she loved him as dearly as anyone else in her life. Jean smiled though when she saw the look of happiness on her own father's face, accepting of Rose's affections for the other man.

The TARDIS began to rumble once more, beeping and rasping as the sound of the planet ripping apart beneath them began to fill the room. It wasn't long before the console began to glow and the light grew too bright for mortal eyes to watch. Jean could hear the calls of goodbye as they rang out and slowly faded. The console began to beep more calmly and the ship came to a rest in the depths of space. Jean looked up as a warm hand touched her shoulder. She looked up at her father and smiled warmly.

"You'll want to see this," he said leading her over to the large double doors as the rest of her family congregated around her.

The doors swung inwards and for a moment Jean thought she would be sucked out into the vacuum of space but all thought was lost as the took in the sight before her. The planet they had been standing on moment before was no more, the sun and moon also nowhere to be seen. The only light on the scene came from the stars, so many millions of miles away but illuminating the floating debris that glittered like tumbling jewels of jet and ruby. She thought she should feel some sadness at the destruction but the Idrali had poisoned it so that it was purer in its current state, floating and falling through space and time like the memories of its people.

"Gallifrey," she breathed, the name like benediction on her lips.

"Gallifrey," said the Doctor, "Home of the Time Lords, of the Coven of White Light, your home world, both of you."

"Its not mine," said Adric from the captain's seat he had refused to move from, "It'll never be mine and if you think a soppy goodbye and a destroyed planet will make up for what you've done you've got another thing coming."

The Doctor turned to his son with centuries of patience in his gaze, "Adric you are in shock but this has to stop, you are who you are. I've died for you, doesn't that prove that alien or not I have somewhat more than a simple father's affection for you. I am sorry that we lied to you but we wanted you to be safe. We learn from our mistakes, we make up for what we got wrong."

Adric sneered, "Then why haven't you ever told Mum about the thirty years you were separated from her?"

"Thirty years?" said Rose, "But you said…"

"I didn't want to upset you," said the Doctor closing the doors and turning to the console, setting the ship into flight, "It had only been two months for you."

"But all that time, all on your own?"

"He wasn't alone," said Adric, "Were you Dad? Tell her about Martha, tell her about Joan, Cyka-Vann told me about them. Every moment, every kiss."

The Doctor closed his eyes and leant down against the console, not wanting to meet his partner's gaze, "You would believe that everything the Idralas told you was true? Yes I had companions after Rose. There was Donna, you forgot her, saved her life not ten minutes after I'd said goodbye to your mother and I asked her to travel with me but she refused me, she knew I was only asking her because I was damaged. The other two I will explain, just lets get home, we need to make sure Pete and Dom are still in the time line we left behind."

Rose moved to the Doctor's side and lay a hand on his arm, "Hey," she said softly, "Whatever happened back then, it was seventeen years ago."

"I still want to tell you, all of you," said the Doctor, before brightening, signifying that the subject should be dropped, "Ready to see your family again Jackie?"

"Definitely," she said, "I want a cup of tea."

"Ooh tea," said Dana, "Sounds perfect."

"We got trouble," giggled Rose, "Two mother-in-laws."

The Doctor smiled down at her, "Well I have no more elusive family to pick up and we should be able to rearrange to seating list for the wedding to accommodate. Hold on tight everyone, the time tunnel is still intact but it'll be bumpy."

"That's the best bit," said Rose gripping on to the console, "Here we go!"

XXXX

Rose could already taste the bacon sandwiches her mother had promised to cook up once they got back to the house. She ran her fingers through her hair, finding it thick with grime and blood and thinking that maybe a shower would be the first port of call, preferably with the Doctor she needed something to convince her totally that the bizarre events that had just passed her were real. She knew the subject of Cyka-Vann and Adric would need to be addressed but she knew the boy would come round once everything was explained, the bigotry surrounding aliens had been growing on Earth for a number of years and Adric's impressionable age had left him open to the bad feelings and Rose knew that that would be the source of his current reluctance to accept his father at his word.

She felt the TARDIS engines hitch and smiled as Jean clung a little tighter to the console before her as if it was common place for her to travel in such a way. Jack and the Doctor were piloting whilst Jackie and Dana sat side by side on the captain's chair, Jackie keeping Adric close to her side. Rose looked up at the great vaulted ceiling above her and felt a tremor of warmth from the TARDIS herself, the ship glad that all were safe and soon to be home. The console gave a small beep and the central column began to slow for landing. With a soft bump the TARDIS came to rest and Rose was the first to the doors, longing to see her brother and father again. She threw open the doors and ran into the hallway of the great house, not caring for her surroundings.

She stopped as she recognized a familiar face before her, standing, hands in his pockets and an amused smile on his face.

"Err…hi," said Rose, her eyes widening in shock, "You're meant to…Doctor! You might want to come out here?"

"Coming, coming!" came the voice from inside the TARDIS, "Just shutting down a few things. What is it….oh, bugger!"

"Bugger exactly," said the northern tones before them both, the amused smile turning to a look of utter comedic dismay, "What part of throwing me into my own time line don't you get?"

"I…I did…it …oh bugger," said the Doctor, "We're a little bit screwed here aren't we?"

"Indeed," said the other Doctor, the leather of jacket creaking slightly as he took his hands from his pockets, "And you'll be pleased to know since you managed to monumentally screw up my transfer not only do you not exist but Cyka-Varme is pretty much the evil overlord of both universes and we have a patrol of Cybermen just outside the door."

"Just a little bit screwed then?" said Rose, smacking her partner in the chest with the back of her hand.

"Just a little," said the Doctor before them, "Gonna invite me in then, don't really fancy facing the Cybermen right now."

Rose turned as she heard the smash of glass so reminiscent of past times in the house and saw the great metal hulk break through into the house, clearly designed to hunt out any un-assimilated humans and to process them. She reached out and grabbed a handful of leather jacket and pulled both Doctor's back into the TARDIS, slamming the doors. She smirked at the snort of laughter from Dana.

"Miss us did you?"


	14. Turn Back Time

The reactions had been quite predictable when the Doctor entered the TARDIS once more behind Rose and his successor. Dana had been amused at first but then the gravity had hit them all. It was Jackie who was worst hit by the news though, her entire hope throughout their time on Gallifrey had been getting back to her son and husband but here stood the one man who meant that that dream was still not obtainable yet. The sound of the Cybermen outside the TARDIS had prompted Rose to encourage the entire group deeper into the interior, the control room not necessary until they had a chance to fathom what had gone wrong with the transfer and what could be done to rectify it. It was soon settled that nothing could be decided on in their current states and the rest and food were more crucial facets at that moment.

The respite had been fraught with nightmares and tears rather than true rest but those more desperately effected had finally fallen into slumber, leaving Dana, Rose and the two Doctors to attempt to find an answer to their current conundrum. The library in the TARDIS was once more aglow from the fire light, the recently over worked tea pot on its third brew and standing alongside the strong pot of coffee necessary for Rose to stay up to speed with the three Gallifreyans. Dana sat resting in the large arm chair by the fire, her age taking the spark out of her body but not out of her eyes or soul. She looked every inch the Time Witch she claimed to be, insisting in dressing in one of the light robes of Gallifrey the Doctor usually kept hidden in the depths of the TARDIS wardrobe. On her lap she had perched a large book of Gallifreyan text and was following it with a keen eye and a bony finger. The Doctor's ninth incarnation was stood leaning on the fire place mantle, his eyes focused on the rug before him but his mind somewhere in the deep recesses of time and space, only speaking occasionally to offer his opinion or thought on the matter in hand.

The other Doctor was in his usual manner when solving a problem, pacing a hole in the carpet by the fireside, his hands knotting into his hair now and then or tracing over his face in exasperation at their inability to find a solution. He had changed into a blue suit Rose could not remember from their travels but suited him as well as the brown one lost somewhere in the house that was still defying time. His white chucks had been replaced by red and his shirt a deep chocolate brown that brought out his eyes. Rose herself had opted for jeans and trainers, figuring that some running may be needed with both Doctor's nearby. She was trying her best to help but their discussion had long since gone beyond the realms of her understanding, lapsing in and out of their own language and leaving her unable to understand a word. Her main task became fetching various books from the sprawling shelves or fetching the tea and coffee that seemed to be fuelling each new discussion.

"Nah if we do that we're looking at at least one of the universes imploding," said the Doctor in response to his predecessor's softly spoken idea, "Its better than what we've come up with before though."

"I can't find anything in the ancient texts that wouldn't need at least two of my Coven sisters to perform," said Dana sadly, "and even with Jeannie's basic abilities I couldn't expect her to handle and of this without years of training."

"We need to keep the children out of this as much as possible," said the Doctor, the leather of his jacket creaking as he stepped away from the mantle as flopped onto the nearby leather sofa, his hand covering his face, "Jean is very accepting but I think she might get a shock of reality before too long and Adric, well phenomenal kid is all I can say."

"He'll get there," said Rose, "He's just shocked and very confused. Everything that we were expecting to explain to him has been put on the back burner since we landed."

"Like I said, best to keep them out of it," said the Doctor, before looking over at his successor, "Any ideas kid?"

"Loads except they mainly centre around smacking you if you call me kid again," hissed the other, fidgeting with his hair as he paced, "How on Earth did you put up with me Rose?"

"Same way I put up with you now," said Rose, "Selective hearing. We're going to need to come up with something soon. What you two have said about the integrity of time with both of you existing on one timeline is pretty scary. Why didn't it happen before though on Gallifrey?"

"Gallifrey always existed outside of time," explained the older man, "She wasn't part of any particular time line and had access to all, hence why the Daleks were so interested in her and why it was safer too…"

Rose reached out and lay a hand on his shoulder, "I know sweetheart," she said, "Try not to think about it."

He nodded solemnly before continuing, "Even though the Gallifrey we just left wasn't the original it still retained some of its features and it gave us slightly more protection from the time lines. Now though we need to work fast, we have a week at most before the affects become apparent on us both."

"And what happens then?" said Rose.

"Best you don't know," said her fiancé, "But we'll figure something out before then, trust me Rose."

"I do," said Rose walking over to the door, "I'm going to check on the children. Don't tear each other apart when I'm gone."

"I'll come with you," said Dana, springing up from the seat like a woman a third of her new age. She hurried to Rose's side and took her arm as they walked out of the library.

"Do you think that's wise?" said Rose as they meandered towards the bed chambers, "Those two are set to pounce any second the rate they're winding each other up."

"I know," said Dana with a wicked twinkle, "That's half the fun and once they've properly had a go at each other they'll start coming up with some proper answers instead of just trying to out do each other. They may seem like two different men but I know my son in any form and they're more similar than they think."

"It must be weird," said Rose, dropping her voice to a whisper as she looked in on her old bedroom that the children now occupied, Adric choosing still to sleep beside his sister despite his current ill humour, "I often wonder what I would have felt if my younger self had been transported with the Doctor."

"You forget," said Dana as Rose closed the door once more, content that her children were sleeping soundly, "Its not the first time this has happened to him and two Doctors isn't all that many, there were once four in the same room, now that must have been a party."

Rose couldn't help but laugh, "It must have been carnage. I wonder how I'll feel though, you know, if this is more permanent. I'm in love with the Doctor as he is now but with his old self, well its like I can tell him everything I kept hidden. Its hard."

Dana took her hand, "I know but you need to remember that the Doctor you are with is who you'll be with for the rest of your days and the other will forget you as you are now when we finally get him home. You need to start thinking about your wedding, that'll take your mind off everything else."

"My wedding," giggled Rose, "I think that's the last of my priorities right now."

"Nonsense," said Dana, "A girl's wedding is the most important event ever, I bet you haven't even got a dress?"

Rose smiled, "Not yet but then I'll have to wait a while, before too long bump will be making an appearance and I'll look like Moby Dick if I wear white."

Dana increased her pace, tugging on Rose's hand. The passed the library and followed on until they reached the control room. The mechanical thump of the Cybermen's step still echoed outside, clearly on century duty until someone emerged from the time ship. Dana pulled Rose over to her own TARDIS, still standing like a cabinet in the corner of the control room. She unlocked the door and hurried Rose over the threshold, bypassing her own control room and into the depths of the second TARDIS. The corridors were much plainer than those in the other TARDIS, denoting that this ship was more for travel than a home, Rose wondered if the Doctor's had ever shared a similar décor. Before too long they reached a door that Dana hastily opened and pulled Rose inside.

Rose looked round in appreciation at the large sprawling wardrobe, not quite as grand or well stocked as the Doctor's but still exquisite to the eye. Dana began ferreting along one particular rail as Rose examined the various garments on offer, finding them equally comedic or elegant as in her own home. A triumphant sound went up from Dana's direction and Rose looked over to see the old woman heaving a large, wrapped garment from the rail. Rose rushed to help but Dana batted her away, laying the garment on a small couch at the edge of the room and beginning to gently un-pin its covering. Rose gasped in surprise at the beauty that lay beneath.

In the folds of the dust sheet lay an elegant red velvet dress, drapes and folds of the skirt leading up to a corseted top in the same fabric, brocaded with gold piping and lace. It looked somewhat Elizabethan in its design but also lighter, more elegant. It screamed with name of its planet of origin in its elegance and ease. Dana gently lifted the dress and held it against herself.

"My Little One's father bought this for our wedding," she said sadly, "But I never got a chance to wear it. It has sat here for so many years but now finally, it can be worn for its original purpose."

Rose looked up in alarm, "Dana I couldn't possibly…"

"Oh pish," said Dana, cutting off her protest, "I won't be having any of that. Rose I want you to wear it, its cut is such that you'll barely be able to tell that you're pregnant and the Doctor…well I can just imagine his face when he sees you coming to his side dressed as a bride of his home world."

Rose ran her hand along the sleeve of the dress as she tried to picture her partner's face as she arrived dressed in the garment. She bit her lip in excitement as she took the dress from Dana and held it up against herself, turning to the mirror and swaying back and forwards, moving the velvet skirt, surprised by how light it was.

"Try it on," said Dana.

Rose smiled and disappeared behind the dressing screen, hurrying out of her clothes and negotiating her way into the dress. She could hear Dana bustling about outside, muttering about head dresses and shoes. Rose was grateful that time had not stiffened the fastening on the back of the dress and it did up easily. Even without a mirror Rose was sure the dress fitted perfectly, the sleeves falling just off her shoulders in a way Rose was sure would allow her to show of the diamond necklace the Doctor had bought her for her thirtieth birthday. She ran her hands down the dress, lingering over her stomach and the tiny life that rested there. She felt a slight tear come to her eye as she thought of how close she had been to losing the family she held so dear but she shook the thought away and peered around the screen.

"Ready?" she said.

Dana nodded and Rose stepped out from behind the screen, smiling shyly as she saw the tears that came to the old woman's eyes.

"Oh my Rose," said Dana softly, "Oh my darling girl, you look so beautiful."

Rose turned to the mirror and choked at the sight, gone was the conservative business woman or casual mother look that she always sported, she stood before the mirror looking more regal, more elegant than she had ever seen herself in her life. She had often wondered how she would look in the fashions of the Doctor's planet whenever she had stumbled over some odd garment that had fallen from its hiding place but she had never dared try any of them on but her she stood in a gown that rivalled even the beauties of Reinette's courtly fashions, feeling for all the world like the princess the Doctor had always insisted she was.

"Its gorgeous," said Rose running her hands once more over the soft velvet, "Oh Dana its too much and its yours, I couldn't possibly wear it."

"Yes you could," said Dana, "and you will, when those boys sort out this wonderful problem of theirs. Your mother should see you in that dress, I'll go and fetch her."

Dana had left the room before Rose had a chance to protest. Several minutes pass by and Rose began to grow bored of the silence, humming along to the rhythm of the TARDIS to pass the time. The gentle hum of the TARDIS echoed around her, the gentle rhythmic thump of the engines creating an almost waltz like melody. Picking up the skirt of the dress Rose slipped her feet into two ruby coloured slippers Dana had left by the mirror and began to mark out the one courtly dance the Doctor had taught her from his home world. She stumbled several times over the fabric, not used to wearing such long dresses. She tried the step she had faltered on once more but still succeeded in stumbling.

"Don't put your weight back on your heel when you turn," came a voice from the door, "You won't stumble then."

Rose spun round in surprise but settled as she saw the figure leaning on the door frame, arms crossed across his chest, leaning one ankle over the other.

"You aren't meant to see the dress until the wedding day," said Rose, "Its bad luck."

"Well seeing as its not technically me you're marrying I don't think that rule applies," said the Doctor stepping into the room and shrugging off his leather jacket, laying it on the dust sheet that had covered the dress, "You look absolutely beautiful by the way."

"For a human?" said Rose.

"For a human," said the Doctor with a smile of recognition, "Did he or I teach you that dance?"

"He did," said Rose.

"Figures, he made a half arsed job of it just like the transfer."

Rose wanted to correct him but she saw the playful glint in his eye and kept quiet, knowing he was only teasing. She smiled as he turned her to the mirror and began to fasten the long red lace veil that Dana had found into her hair, letting it fall down her back in long waves of crimson. He lowered his hands to her shoulders, admiring her in the mirror.

"He's a very lucky man," he said, his rich tones barely audible as he spoke low to her ear, "You look every inch a Time Lady in that."

"Mutton dressed as…" said Rose, feeling slightly odd that she should ever be referred to as a Time Lady, "Is it too much though? Too much of a reminder? Neither of your other wives wore anything like this did they?"

The Doctor laughed, "God no, the first wore blue, all overly ornate and far too much glittery stuff and the other wore the clothes she was standing up in at the time. This is perfect though, no wonder my mother told me to come and see it."

"Dana sent you?" said Rose.

"I think she feared you might not have a groom if we weren't separated for a while. She called me out and left him working in the library," said the Doctor, taking her hand and turning her to face him, "Now then, that dance you were massacring, may I?"

Rose let him take her into his arms, finding that they still fit perfectly together despite the time she had spent from him. He moved her round the room, telling her now and then how to place her feet to prevent herself from stumbling. It took several fumbled attempts for her to get the steps, two strong arms tightening around her each time she stumbled, pulling her back against the familiar scent of his body. Once she had the step perfected they did not stop, repeating the pattern across the floor time and time again. Rose felt herself blush as her eyes met his before he set her into a small turn away from him. When he drew her back in both their feet stopped moving without any command.

"Rose," he breathed making her all too aware of his height as he towered over her.

"Doctor," she echoed, feeling the slight tremble in the hand that held his.

"Can I…" he began, only continuing when she gave him a brief smile, "This passed day so much has changed for me, I've learned so much."

Rose smiled mournfully, "So much to forget too when you get back."

"I wish I didn't have to, I wish I could take every memory with me," said the Doctor, "I wish I could remember what you look like right now."

Rose turned her face away as she blushed even deeper, knowing that she would never forget the look in his eyes as he beheld her. She felt his fingers light on her chin as he tilted her face up to his, the question in his eyes unmistakeable.

"May I?"

"Wasn't aware you had to ask," said Rose.

"You're engaged to another man."

"A man you'll become and he didn't protest in the TARDIS before."

"But that was a 'I'll never see you again kiss'," said the Doctor, releasing one finger to run along her lips.

"Wasn't aware there were different types of kissing."

The Doctor didn't answer as he bent his head to hers brushing her lips softly with his own. Rose moaned as he lost any inhibitions he may have had and pressed more firmly into her, claiming her mouth for his own. She kissed back with as much passion as he gave her, running her hands up his back to run over the smoothness of his closely cropped hair. When the need for air became essential Rose pulled back, offering him a small smile, pleased to find him a little breathless. He leaned back into her but she pulled back.

"Just this once," she said, "Like you said, I'm engaged to another man."

He gave her a soft, mournful laugh, laying his forehead against hers, "I know, I'm glad though…just once."

"Its not just once," said Rose, "One day in your future there's one kiss and it's the most amazing thing in the world."

"I won't ask for the details," said the Doctor, "You do know though, how much I love you, the you I know I mean, the one whose out there somewhere."

Rose nodded as he stepped back from her, "Yeah I know and she loves you too."

He held her at arms length, admiring the dress on her once more, "You make quite the lovely bride Rose Tyler."

She smiled bashfully as he stepped away from her fully, pulling back on the leather jacket a second before the bustle of Dana and Jackie echoed in the corridor. Jackie behaved like every mother at the sight of her daughter in her wedding dress and Rose was soon swept into hugs and great bouts of emotion. She watched over her mother's shoulder as the Doctor left the room, his eyes meeting hers for a brief second a semblance of peace falling into their tortured blue depths before he stepped out of the door.

XXXX

Four days had passed TARDIS time since they had landed back in the shell of Pete Tyler's old house. A check of the scanners had shown the Cybermen had given up their guard of the box and moved on but still no one had the confidence to emerge. The atmosphere was charged but dismal. Adric remained sullen and refused to remain in the room whenever the Doctor tried to explain his past. It worked in some favour though as the Doctor was free to spend more time with his counterpart trying to fathom a way to restore the time line before everything was completely destroyed. The Doctors both kept there eyes on the outside world, the threat of Cyka-Varme ever present although the fact that the remaining Idralas had now never met the Doctor gave them the advantage of time before their discovery. Dana was slowing in her old age, trying to keep up with the two incarnations of her son tiring her now ancient form. Jackie had taken to nursing the Time Witch, a welcome distraction from her own pain. Jack had joined the Doctor in Dana's place, providing some form of technical support that none of the others could achieve.

Jean watched on in fascination as they worked, her own intelligence growing daily as she was exposed to the things she had been born to know. Rose was the one to make sure everyone was fed and rested properly throughout, relying on the support of the two men who loved her more than anything in the world whenever she felt low. Although the kiss in the wardrobe had never been repeated she felt an extra closeness to her old friend now, nowhere near overshadowing her affections for her partner but allowing her the comfort of two pairs of warm arms if it was needed. Her worry grew daily though, the strain of the crossed time line beginning to show on both the Doctor's, one looking even more haunted than before and one beginning to lose the youthful ease he always carried. They both assured her all was well but she couldn't help but see the change, time for once was not their friend.

As the fourth day of their trials drew to a close Rose wanted nothing more than her fiancé's arms and company. She found him quite comically positioned in the large, ornate Victorian tub they had in the bathroom off their bedroom on the TARDIS. A large text book was perched precariously on the small cross stand that usually held various shampoo bottles and he wore his glasses, having to pull them off at intervals to wipe off the condensation that was building up on them. Rose leant against the door as she watched him.

"Waiting for a eureka moment?"

She giggled as he startled and nearly knocked the book into the bubbly water. He threw her a distasteful look before brightening into a smile, pushing his glasses up into her damp hair.

"Only place I can get any peace without Junior sticking his oar in every five seconds," he said, closing the book and leaning over the edge of the bath to place it and his glasses on the floor.

"You know," said Rose wandering over and kneeling down next to the bath, "Seeing you and him in the same room has definitely been an education. How can someone who is essentially the same person hate himself so much?"

"It's a gift," said the Doctor, knotting a strand of her hair around a finger, "You know there's room for two in here."

"Really now," said Rose kneeling up and pressing a kiss to his lips, "Anyone would think you were suggesting something Doctor Smith."

"Merely protecting the environment, that last government directive said people should save the amount of water they used," said the Doctor tugging at her robe, "Besides, gotta give you and baby a cuddle now and then, make you feel loved. Come on, save the water, save the planet."

"I think they meant that for people who live in houses rather than interstellar time machines with its own water recycling facility," said Rose trailing one hand in the water before bringing it to rest on his chest, her face becoming serious, "I'm worried about Adric."

"Kill the mood why don't you?"

"Doctor," she said, digging her nails into the flesh of his chest, "I'm serious."

"I know," he said, "I'll talk to him I promise, just need to tie him down with something first."

Rose couldn't help the slight smirk at his words, "Hopefully it'll be sooner rather than later, its really starting to drive a rift through…"

Rose trailed off as the Doctor sat more upright before leaping out of the bath, more sprightly than he had been in days and not caring for any modesty. He grabbed her face in her hands and kissed her before catching up a robe from the back of the door and hurrying it on.

"Rose Tyler you are a genius!" he cried.

"What's happening?" said Rose hurrying after him as he ran from the bathroom.

"Eureka moment!" he called over his shoulder as he left the room and ran through the corridors. They both hurried into the library, finding the other Doctor dozing on one of the desk chairs, his feet propped up before him. The younger man took great pleasure knocking his feet from the table, shocking him to wakefulness.

"Oi Big ears!" said the Doctor grabbing several books off the shelf, "Control room, quick as you like. Rose go fetch Dana for me would you love?"

"Noisy little imp," muttered the northerner, gathering himself from the onslaught, "What are you babbling about now?"

"Just follow me to the control room, I'll tell you all then."

Rose went off in search of Dana whilst the two Doctors headed to the control room. Dana joined them moments later, surprised to see them both already beneath the console, the wires sparking furiously now and then as they attempted some engineering feat the TARDIS was not happy with. Dana cleared her throat and the younger of the two men stuck his head out of the pit.

"Rose not with you?" he asked.

"No," said Dana, "We passed the children's room and Jeannie was having a nightmare, she said she'd stay with them for a while."

"Good," said the deeper voice, still concealed in the pit, "Best she doesn't hear this anyway."

"I take it your great break through isn't all that simple then," said Dana, "Also it must be more than technology you need or you wouldn't have sent for me."

The Doctor shook his head, causing several strands of still wet hair to fall into his eyes. Dana knelt down beside him and pushed it back, rubbing at a grease stain on his forehead.

"We need to go to the Rift the other side of the Void," he said, "We punch a small hole in it and using the power of both your TARDIS and mine we pull at the edges and create a temporal anomaly. This should generate enough power to recreate the conditions that originally existed when you pulled him from his time line…"

"Whose him, the cat's mother?" came the undignified response from below.

"Oh hush up and keep working while I'm being brilliant," said the Doctor before turning back to his mother, "Like I said we generate that power and you can reverse the spell."

"Just like that?" said Dana, "Aren't you forgetting a certain Cyka-Varme who will be doing everything he can to stop you restoring the time line? And also the fact that the slightest miscalculation or miscasting could rip the universe to shreds or at least both the ships, you'd be risking not only your lives but those of your family."

The other Doctor emerged from the grating and gave his mother a sarcastic grin, "Oh this where he gets really clever," he said, "He wants to leave Rose and the others here."

"What!" cried Dana, "Are you out of your mind? There are Cybermen out there hunting down every non-assimilated human and you're going to leave them here?"

"It's a safer bet," said the Doctor, "I can protect them here, set up a temporary force field around the house to prevent the Cybermen getting in."

"With the amount of power we'll be using to create the temporal rip you're looking at no more than fifteen minutes worth of power for the field," said the other, "That gives us fifteen minutes to cross the void, get to Earth, open the ships and pray that nothing goes wrong."

"But like Mum says," said the Doctor, "We could be destroyed, me most likely of all so this is the better bet. They come with us and the TARDIS is destroyed they die, they stay here, we succeed in sending you home but the resulting rip destroys the TARDIS, the time line is restored but I die, they still live on and we can do this in fifteen minutes."

Dana nodded mournfully, "I suppose it is the better option and if we arm them they could defend themselves against the Cybermen for a while at least, Rose and Jack are both good marksmen."

The other Doctor nodded, "If it's the only way to get back to my own timeline then we'll have to do it. I don't know about you two but I'm already starting to feel the cracks that are appearing in reality outside of the TARDIS and Cyka-Varme's power is increasing daily. We need to move fast or he will find us."

"How long until the ship is ready?" asked Dana.

"About half an hour left on modifications," said the younger man, "Then about eight hours to power up the field, we'll be ready to go by morning."

"Give me your sonic screwdriver," said Dana holding out her hand.

"Why?" said the Doctor.

"Because I can help with the console just as well as you can and you're the only one of us three with people on board that you need to be with right now. Go and watch your children sleep, go and lay beside Rose until morning because if this goes wrong I don't want her or them regretting that your final night with them was spent beneath the console of the TARDIS."

The Doctor looked set to protest but then he felt the strong hand of the other man on his shoulder and turned to see him nod his head in the direction of the TARDIS interior. The Doctor nodded obediently before getting to his feet.

"You'll need to create a program to make you forget what's happened beyond the void," he said, "And you call me if you need me."

"We will," said Dana, "Now go to Rose, don't think about us."

The Doctor hesitated for a second before turning and jogging up the steps into the TARDIS interior quickly bypassing the other rooms until he reached the one his children had commandeered. He opened the door as silently as possible, trying not to let the light from the corridor fall upon the bed. His eyes adjusted quickly and he saw the two sleeping children and Rose, watchfully awake in a chair to the side of them.

"Hey," she said softly as he walked in, "Everything ok?"

"Yeah, the Doctor and Mum are working on something out there, should be ready by morning," said the Doctor, "How are they?"

"Jeannie had a nightmare but she's settled again. Adric still isn't talking."

The Doctor perched on the bed next to his son, fussing the fly away strands of his hair, "He'll come round," he whispered, "He's clever, he'll learn to accept things and he'll always take good care of you."

Rose didn't question him as he leant down to press a kiss to the boy's forehead, muttering something over him in Gallifreyan, she could tell by the tone of his voice that something deeper than her own understanding was bothering him and to question him would cause him to shy away from her. She watched silently as he moved round to the other side of the bed, brushing Jean's hair off her face before doing the same to her as he had to Adric. Jean stirred slightly but didn't wake as the Doctor got off the bed and turned to Rose. He reached out to her and took her hand, tugging her to her feet.

"Come with me," he said, a command rather than a question. Rose obeyed and let him lead her from the room and back across to their own. As soon as the door was closed she was shocked to find herself turned towards him with more gentleness than he had ever showed her before his hands went to the tie of her robe, loosening it before pushing the garment off her shoulders, leaving her bare before him.

"Doctor…?"

He put a finger to her lips, "Don't," he said, "Just let me…"

The desperation in his eyes terrified her but Rose did not have the heart to refuse him instead leaning in and capturing his lips with hers. He backed her slowly towards the bed, his hands tracing delicate patterns over her skin as he guided her down against the mattress. She looked up at him as he undressed, his body still damp from his hastily exited bath. She reached up her arms to him, pulling him down onto her and finding comfort in his familiar weight against her.

"I love you," he whispered against her neck as he kissed her.

"I love you too," she said, letting her eyes fall closed and the world around her fade to nothing in his arms.


	15. Farewell

Rose woke to the feeling of fingers in her hair the next morning. She kept her eyes closed, enjoying the soft play of the Doctor's fingers, his breath against her face, his eyes tracing her skin. There was some sort of finality about the morning that unnerved her and that's why she kept her eyes closed. If she kept her eyes closed then the world around her didn't exist and nothing bad could happen to them. She felt his fingers leave her hair, trailing down her cheek to her collarbone and descending lower until his palm flattened against her stomach, flexing every now and then gently. She smiled at the action, one he had completed nearly every morning when she had been pregnant with both Adric and Jean. Her smile gave her away and she felt his lips press to her forehead.

"Faker," he said softly over her.

"Just enjoying the attention," said Rose, "What time is it?"

"Five AM," said the Doctor, "Sorry to wake you but we have to get going soon."

"Where are we going?" said Rose, blinking her eyes open and glad to find the room only dimly lit.

"You're not going anywhere," said the Doctor, "But Mum, the other Doctor and I are off to Cardiff in our old universe. We've found a way to restore the time lines but its dangerous and I don't want you and the others on the TARDIS when it happens."

"I'm not letting you go on your own," said Rose, wide awake as she sat up.

"This isn't open for discussion," said the Doctor firmly but with an edge of understanding, "I'm not taking you into danger this time, you all mean too much for me to do that and I couldn't…if anything happened to you Rose…"

Rose pressed a finger to his lips, "Ok," she said softly, "I know. If we're being left behind, where are we being left behind?"

"In the house," said the Doctor, "I'm going to set up a field around the building that will keep the Cybermen out long enough for us to do what we have to do over the void, if we succeed then the time line should restore, the field drop and everything go back to normal, it'll be like you never left."

"And if you don't succeed?"

"We will," said the Doctor, "Whatever the price we will succeed because you've gotta live on, all this will be for nothing for both me and him if you don't survive this."

"And what if you don't survive this? How am I mean to go on without you?" said Rose, gripping onto his forearm and preventing him from pulling away from her, "You're my universe."

The Doctor pulled her firmly against him, knotting his fingers into her hair and feeling her heart beat fall into rhythm with his, "I wish I didn't have to go, I wish there was some way to keep us separate from all this but there isn't. I've been on borrowed time for years and now I have to pay for that."

"You say that like you're expecting to die," said Rose, her voice muffled against his shoulder, "Do we mean so little to you that you'll just go?"

"Its because you mean so much to me that I'm going. If my former self does not get home then you will die even before we have a chance to make anything of our love," said the Doctor, "The whole universe would change and gradually even effect you, you'll fade and you'll die because you don't really exist. I have no choice."

Rose pressed a kiss to his shoulder and held him all the tighter, tears escaping from her tightly squeezed eyes, "What I'd give for you to be a normal human?"

The Doctor seemed to hesitate for a second but then lay his head against hers, "Me too. Do you understand Rose, why I have to go?"

"No," she said stubbornly.

"Rose I have done so many things I'm not proud of, before I met you, even before the War and you've forgiven me everything. Those thirty years when I was from you were so hard but even though things happened that I hope I can explain to you one day I never once stopped loving you and now is my chance to prove it, to offer myself up for that love and that alone. I need that absolution Rose, do you understand?"

Rose pulled him tighter into her embrace, feeling the tears on his cheeks as he pressed his face into her shoulder, "I do," she said, "Just promise me that if this fails and there's something there beyond this vast strange existence of ours you'll find me."

The Doctor pulled back and took her hand in his, lacing their fingers together, "I promise," he said, "I'll find you Rose Tyler."

"You'd better get ready," said Rose, "I'll go get the children up, wake Mum and Jack too."

The Doctor nodded, pressing a kiss to her lips before climbing off the bed. They dressed silently, the atmosphere charged with a feeling neither of them wanted in their lives. Rose only noticed she was still crying when the Doctor turned her to him and wiped away the tracks from her cheeks with his thumbs. He kissed her forehead before ushering her towards the door, following not soon after but heading first to the armoury and then the control room. He was unsurprised the see his ninth form and Dana already waiting for him, solemn looks on both their faces. Dana went to him and hugged him tightly.

"You've been crying," she said.

"I've just spent will probably be the last night ever with the woman I love," said the Doctor, "Of course I've been crying."

"This might still go quite smoothly," said his predecessor, "We could be lucky."

"Lucky doesn't happen to us," said the Doctor, "But the time line will be restored and that's what needs to be done. I'm so tired and its one of the better ways to go."

"Don't talk like that," said Dana, "Especially when the children are here, tell them you're coming home to them."

The Doctor shook his head, turning to fiddle with the buttons on the console, "I can't lie to them, not again. No this time it's the truth or nothing."

XXXX

Rose kept her arms wrapped tightly around her two children as the sound of the TARDIS faded to silence, the ancient leaves that had gathered around its base scattering in the updraft. She bit her lip to hold back her tears as she felt Jack's hand on her shoulder, squeezing hard enough to cause pain but the discomfort was a welcome anchor. She felt Jeannie already trembling with tears in her arms and pulled her a little closer, glad when her mother also came to the young girl's side and tried to comfort her. She was shocked however when she heard the choke and then the desperate sob from the otherwise quiet boy to her left.

"Bye Dad," said Adric through his tears.

"Oh Adric," said Rose pulling him close as Jean went willingly to her grandmother, "He's gonna come back."

"Until then though," said Jack, "We should head to the basement and barricade ourselves in, the Doc said that field's only got about fifteen minutes before it fails."

Rose nodded, releasing Adric from her embrace and picking up the Gallifreyan weapon at her feet, "You're right. Come on everyone, downstairs, we'll be safer there."

The children followed obediently, Jackie having to hold Jean up as the grief made it hard for her to walk. They descended into the large cellar, noticing the smashed bottles and red stains from the spilled wine on the floor, clearly work of the Cybermen when they had first invaded the house and stolen away the former Jackie Tyler of the residency. They barricaded the door with whatever they could find until they were satisfied it would take a good while for even the most determined Cyberman to break through. Rose hurried her family to a small cubby in the back that would prove hard to find and gave them more of s sight advantage of the whole basement than could be had from the stairs. The force field the Doctor had erected did nothing to muffle the sound from outside the house despite the protection it offered them and no sooner had the sound of them moving in the cellar died down than the sound of metal booted feet marching on the gravel path to the house echoed around them, coming to a stop only when the Cybernetic technology detected the field.

"Mummy I'm scared," said Jean.

"I know baby," said Rose, "But Daddy'll do it you'll see. Daddy won't let us down."

Reaching inside her top Rose pulled out the Doctor's pendant, running it between her fingers before pressing a kiss to it, muttering the words she had often heard the Doctor whisper over their sleeping babes.

"Rassilon hear my prayer, protect those in my heart…"

XXXX

The TARDIS lurched and juddered under the speed it was being forced to find through time and space in its race to Cardiff. The two Doctor's gripped on to the console, righting the ship and coaxing it onwards as it faltered and hiccupped over various spatial anomalies. The sound of Dana's TARDIS starting up, still parked inside the control room, gave the sound of the engines an eerie echo. They would have mere seconds after landing to find their correct positions along the Rift and throw the right combination of switches to open the Void without ripping the planet to pieces. The Doctor reached across the console catching the sleeve of the other man's leather jacket.

"Before all the madness starts," he called over the noise of the engines, "I just want to say thank you… for everything."

The other man smiled, "My pleasure and thank you, you will get back."

"I hope so," said the Doctor, "You take care of our Rose you hear?"

"You take care of those lovely kids, especially little Freya when she comes along."

The Doctor's answer was cut off as the engines hitched for landing. He flipped on the com, struggling to pull himself round to it so that he could be heard over the din.

"On three you need to pull away Mum."

"Ready to go," came Dana's voice out of the speaker, "I love the both of you. Good luck."

"Ditto," said the Doctor, "From us both. Ready? One…two…three…"

The rasp of the other TARDIS drowned out the sound of the ship's engines as it dematerialised but then the crash of the landing was all that could be heard. The Doctors wasted little time in throwing open the various switches and pathways that were needed, the ground beneath them beginning to shudder and alarm after alarm ringing out as the Rift began to open. An unexpected alarm began to ring out and the Doctor turned to it in concern.

"Incoming!" he cried in despair.

"What?"

"Some sort of fighter craft," said the Doctor, "Probably controlled by Cyka-Varme, we must be on his radar by now. Mum we gotta hurry."

The faint sound of Dana's muttering came over the console as the TARDIS began to shake with the force of the Rift. The monitor showed the planet's integrity failing at an alarming rate, the whole of time and space distorting beneath them as the power grew. The Doctor threw open the engines as the fissure grew, hoping the power he could draw from the Rift would augment the TARDIS' grip on the fabric of time as well as provide a safe path for his younger self's journey home. The other stepped away from the console as the power reached the pinnacle that was needed, keeping as far back from the sparking console as possible in order to get a clear pathway to form.

Dana's voice rang out all the clearer as the sound of missile fire echoed above, several hitting their target and rocking the TARDIS violently. The Doctor cursed and flew round the console as one of the blast nearly threw the ship clear of the Rift, barely holding onto the already failing grip they had. He willed his mother further speed in his head, noticing with alarm that the clock he had set on the console to tell him how long remained on the field in Greenwich winked a menacing thirty seconds at him.

XXXX

Rose cringed as her watch beeped, singling the end of the time the field had to protect them. It was almost as if it had sounded the charge to the Cybermen outside, their march starting up again at greater speed the sound of windows smashing in the rooms above them echoing throughout the house. Rose shoved the two children and Jackie behind the boarding they had found, concealing them as best they could from view with a command to stay quiet. She armed the weapon she carried, hearing Jack do the same and praying that the information she remembered from her studies on the Cyber-suit she had brought back to Torchwood One was correct for the foe she was soon to face. She turned to see Jack's steely determined face, so reminiscent of a time before he ran into battle with the Daleks to save them.

"Looks like its down to us then," she said, trying to keep the tremor in her voice, "Let's just try and take a few of them with us."

"I'm sorry Rose," said Jack.

"He had to try," said Rose as the sound of heavy booted feet thumped directly over them, heading towards the stairs, "This is for him though, for the Doctor."

"For Dad!" came the call from behind them causing Rose to turn and seeing both her children and her mother standing, armed with the guns they had been given to use only as a last resort.

"We're doing this for Dad," said Adric, "And for Gran."

Rose bit back the tears at their bravery, turning her attention back to the stairwell, the door being slowly hammered in, the barricade not holding as they would have wished. They waited and watched for the splintering of the door that would proceed the entrance of the Cybermen.

"Don't shoot until you have to," said Rose, "Leave the first wave to Jack and I. Adric, you protect your Gran and Jean and if there's a chance to run for it you take it."

"Never leave a man behind," said Adric, "Dad made that mistake once."

Further discussion was ended as the door exploded inwards, showering the stone floor with splinters before the marching echo and whine of the Cyber-suits began its descent into the basement. Rose's heart leapt in terror as she saw the first automaton, every inch of humanity removed from its terrifying visage. She brought her weapon to her shoulder finding the sight with ease as Jack did the same, keeping themselves between the Cybermen and the three rookie soldiers at their backs. It wasn't long before the dreadful sightless eyes clocked them and the cry that had haunted Rose's dreams for years rang out in the room.

"Delete! Delete! DELETE!"

"For my Doctor," said Rose, closing her eyes as her finger squeezed the trigger.

XXXX

"Please five more seconds, just hold on girl please?" cried the Doctor, trying vainly to keep the TARDIS in one place, slaving it to Dana's less battered ship to anchor it to the Rift as they were buffeted with every element, every fighter, every disaster that could reach them, the threat of Cyka-Varme growing all the time. The timer had died minutes before, signalling that Rose and the others were alone at the mercy of the Cybermen but the damage to the ship had meant that the timings they had planned for had failed, damage limitation the only thing they could do now, any lives lost were for the good of the universe.

The TARDIS beeped in acknowledgement that the power had reached the right level to send the other Doctor home and for a second everything fell silent as the grave, not even the sound of the engines rang out, the onslaught from above forgotten. The only sound in the entire universe was the ancient Gallifreyan syllables tripping with practised ease from the com-link in the TARDIS. An eerie glow changed the green of the TARDIS to red and then fading to no colour at all, not even black could describe the nothingness that seemed to grow in the console until all that was left were two figures facing one another, eyes locked in a wordless farewell. The taller figure reached into the pocket of his battered leather jacket and drew forth an envelope. With a flick of his wrist it sailed in an elegant arch to his successor, landing easily in his grip. The other looked up in question but he just smiled before closing his ice blue eyes against the darkness and giving himself over to the pull of the universe…

…The Doctor opened his eyes as the gentle thump of the resting TARDIS engine met his ears. He looked around himself, finding himself alone in the control room, no sound to be heard except the gentle sound of the sentient ship. He patted himself down, meeting cool leather and rough denim no worse the wear for his trip. He rushed to the monitor and looked at the most recent flight plan, smiling at what he found. Barely seconds passed when he heard a thump on the outside doors. He went to open them and was met by two bewildered faces one a young, handsome man, still a little wary of the power of the ship, the other a young girl, her blonde hair haphazardly twisted into pigtails beside her ears, her face aglow with the eager flush of youthful beauty.

The Doctor smiled at the sight of them both, "Hello," he said, his voice barely above a whisper as he thought not to break the spell that had brought him back to them.

"Hello nothing," said a familiar cockney accent, "What'cha doing slammin' the door like that? You in a huff or something? Thought you wanted to go to that Hasaraxo…whatsit job?"

The Doctor smiled more fully before sweeping his Rose into a hug, laughing at the slight squeak of surprise she gave.

"How come I don't get any of that?" said the American, pouting adorably, "you slammed the door on me too Doc!"

"I've told you…"

"Buy you a drink first I know," said Jack, "So we going or what?"

"Nah," said the Doctor, "All history and science, you guy's will be bored and I fancy a holiday. Go find something beachy, I'm taking you to the seaside."

Rose shrieked in delight and raced into the console room, Jack however beat her to the stairs, proceeding to strut up and down them singing to himself.

"Who wears short shorts? Jack wears short shorts!"

"Jack better get going or we'll never get there," said the Doctor as the American flashed him a grin before running into the TARDIS. Rose made to follow him but the Doctor called for her to stop.

"Come here a minute," he said beckoning her over.

Rose went to him without hesitation a sweet smile on her face as her deep brown eyes questioned him. She looked up confused as instead of speaking he bent down to her, his face hovering inches above hers. He heard her breath hitch and smiled to himself before pressing a kiss to her forehead.

"Promise me something," he said as she pulled back from him.

"What?" she said, her eyes clouded with confusion, "What's got into you?"

"Nothing," said the Doctor, "Just life, the possibilities of it all. I just want you to promise me though that whatever happens, whatever we do, wherever we go you'll always forgive me and you'll never change."

Rose smiled slowly, before finally beaming her full mega watt smile, "I think that's already given," she said, "Nothing in this world I could ever not forgive you for. So we going to this beach or not?"

The Doctor flipped a few switches on the console and the engines started up, "Go on then, go get changed oh and find the camera, we need some pictures," he said as Rose moved once more up the steps, "And Rose…can you grab that blue shirt of mine out of the wardrobe, can't really sit on a beach in a wool jumper can I?"

"Sure," said Rose before skipping off down the corridor.

The Doctor looked around the console before running his hand over the dials and switches, "Hey Girl," he said softly, "Let's hope he got home ok. Time to forget."

He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small purple cylinder that he had put together the night before. He smiled at the central column, "The things we're going to see old girl," he said, "It's a much bigger universe out there than even I imagined but let's see it first hand rather than second shall we?"

The Console beeped in agreement and created a port for the cylinder. The Doctor slipped it in and the TARDIS whirred before giving a slight judder. The Doctor gripped the console for support, blinking briefly before straightening and opening his eyes. He paused for a moment as a slight shiver went through him, glancing down at the console and finding nothing amiss.

"Hiccups?" he asked softly.

"Doctor?" came the young female voice from down the corridor, "I can't find the camera in your tip of a room!"

"Hold on Rose!" he called back, "I'll be right with you!"

XXXX

The TARDIS groaned in agony as it was buffeted and pulled against the force of the Rift and the laws of physics. The Doctor was struggling vainly to close the Rift, Dana at his side. She had returned mere seconds after the transfer, her part of the Rift shut but the side the Doctor was operating needing her assistance. It was almost as if another force was pulling it open, keeping the gap between the times accessible to anything that could fall through. The Doctor paled as he realised the trap he had fallen into. He felt the rumble of the power before he became aware of the menace that approached. They had succeeded in restoring the time lines but they had been allowed to because with the Rift open and the time lines exposed the other Doctor was vulnerable and if he was destroyed before he even knew of the Idralas, before he ever came close to his regeneration then all would be lost and there would be nothing to stop the dominion of evil that would follow.

The Doctor tried in vain to pull the Rift closed but the ship rasped in pain, the command too much for its already failing form. A sound of clattering feet next to him pulled the Doctor's attention to the console and he saw his mother, wizened and old, grab up the ancient book she had used to send his predecessor home and run for the doors.

"Mum no!" cried the Doctor reaching out to her but unable to leave the console for fear of the Rift completely failing.

Dana paid him no mind, throwing open the doors and stepping out into the swirling mass of time and space that had gathered around the TARDIS. The lightening crackled above her as she gazed towards the heavens, even the stars blocked from view with the power that was surrounding her. Colours merged and every sound in the universe melded together in a cacophony of terror. She opened the book, the page falling to exactly as she pleased. For a second she prayed, prayed for the love of her lost sisters, prayed for the power that had been her birth right to find its pinnacle when it was most needed.

The sky above went black before all below was bathed in a blood red glow. The ground burned, great towers of fire rising into the stars, an inferno more powerful than Hell burning on the Earth. She steeled herself and met the blood red eyes that now manifested before her, shot with hatred and evil more than she had ever seen before. The eyes smiled as they took in her tiny, wizened form but she remained strong. She began to chant but it had no effect on the beast before her as it edged closer and closer to the open fissure of the Rift. Dana reached deep into her heart, struggling to find the power that she needed to control such a creature of darkness.

Like a great wave the fire surged upwards, pausing for a second to look down upon the tiny form that stood chanting an attempt at its demise. It laughed above the scream of the Rift as it saw another figure run towards her, trying to pull her home but then he too froze, staring up in fear and wonderment at the force above him. Only then did the final Idralas crash down over them and towards the open Rift.

XXXX

Rose opened her eyes, fearing a missed shot as the sound of a bullet hitting stone rather than metal rang out in the basement. The sight that greeted her was more than she could at first fathom. Gone were the hulking figures of the Cybermen, gone was the wine stained floor and broken bottles. The basement was well stocked, neat and clean, two children's bicycles propped in one corner still waiting to be taken to the charity shop as had been promised five years before.

"What the…?" she began before she felt herself pulled into the arms of the man beside her.

"He did it!" cried Jack, "He did it!"

"It worked," said Rose before turning to her family behind with tears in her eyes, "Your Dad did it, the time line's been restored."

"Dominic?" cried Jackie, pushing passed them and up the stairs to the ground floor, the others following close behind her.

The whole group stopped as they reached the entrance to the grand living room, watching in awe as the whole place shimmered. The force of the transformation spread and they watched on as the grey, dilapidated house they had landed it once again transformed to the home they knew. The glass flew back into the windows, fusing flawlessly as the drapes curled around them in the deep, velvet glory. The leaves flew up into tiny cyclones before settling on strings from the roof and turning into glittering Christmas lights. The grand tree was awash with colour, every light twinkling and illuminating the prettily tied packages beneath its boughs. When the transformation was complete the feeling of wonder still hung in the air in a breathless hush, augmented by the lull outside the house as the snow fell onto the already white blanketed ground.

It was Jean who first broke the silence, throwing her arms wide in the air as the weapon she was holding turned into a paper garland fit for the festivities. She let out a whoop of joy, spinning on one foot before hugging her brother tightly too her. Jack and Rose watched on with smiles as the young girl proceeded to coax her brother into a dance of celebration, the sound of their laughter only broken by the calls from the stairs as Pete and Dominic descended, still in their night clothes, awoken by the noise.

Jackie ran to her husband and son, embracing them both fiercely before letting her grand children take her place. Pete and Dominic both looked utterly bemused but Rose knew that several hours of explanation would soon set right all that had gone before. The children were already firing off their parts of the story much to Jackie's amusement as she hushed them for telling things in the wrong order. Rose turned to the man at her side, glad to see the smile on his face at the laughter of his new found family. Jack smiled down at her as he put an arm around her shoulders and led her back into the living room, stopping by the fireside to warm his hands. He turned to look at Rose but was alarmed to see her pale as she looked in the mirror above the mantle.

"What is it Rose?" he asked seeing nothing but her dusty reflection, "Nothing that a little soap and water won't fix."

"Where is he Jack?" said Rose, her voice almost distant, "Why is there no sign?"

"Rose?" said Jack, "Rose its been minutes, he's probably just…"

"He's a Time Lord," said Rose, "He can come back to any time he pleases but there's no sound, no TARDIS."

Jack called out to her as she started to head towards the gardens, wrapping her arms round herself as she stepped into the snow, not caring as she sunk below to tops of her trainers. She walked out into the white, soft flakes, the cold doing nothing to her as it came nowhere near the cold in her heart. She cast her eyes heavenwards and felt her tears freeze against her cheeks as they fell from her eyes. She had always felt it before, when they had been separated all those years ago, she could feel him in the universe still a faint little tingle in her mind that said he was out there, searching for her but now there came nothing but the silence of the night.

She didn't move as she felt two strong arms wrap a blanket around her shoulders, hugging her close but not forcing her to move. She shuddered with repressed sobs as she strained her ears for even the slightest rasp of ancient engines but nothing came, the only sound was Jack's breath against her ear as he held her, the ragged puff betraying his own emotions as he felt it too, the emptiness.

"We have to go in," he said, "Pretend to the children a little while longer that he's coming back."

"I can't go back in," said Rose, "I have to wait for him."

"He's gone Rose, like you said he would have found a way back if he could."

"I still have to wait," said Rose, "Five and a half hours, you should always wait five and a half hours."


	16. Merry Little Christmas

Four weeks passed by and beyond the confines of the Tyler Estate the whole country was in the grip of Christmas fever. Inside however was a different story, the pretence of the Doctor's return had been forgotten as soon as Jean and Adric had seen Jack carry their exhausted and half frozen mother in from the gardens, barely an hour into her vigil. The days since had been long and sombre. Pete and Dominic had been told the story of what had befallen the family and histories explained as best as possible by Jackie and Jack, Rose not even able to hear the mention of the Doctor. She had taken to her bed until fears for her health and that of the baby had forced Pete to threaten to have her taken to hospital if she didn't at least attempt to return to normality.

She had been signed off work, no questions asked and the Doctor's disappearance put down to his need to see sick relatives abroad, Rose would not allow him to be referred to as dead. The children were broken but their support of each other made the grief more bearable and allowed them to be of some help to their mother as she grieved. Jackie insisted on the traditions of Christmas being observed and the tree and decorations still remained up in the house, a glittering reminder that life had to continue no matter what the pain they were feeling. Rose could not even be reached by the festive cheer, she ate only to appease her father and negate the threats of being checked into a clinic and she only left her room when forcibly carried by either Jack or Dominic. She had dug the Doctor's brown, pinstripe jacket from the cupboard not two days after his disappearance and now she was never without it, occasionally half drowning it in the almost spent bottle of aftershave on her dresser, a present to him from his children the Christmas before.

Christmas Eve was upon them at last and a small semblance of festive cheer was permeating the house, the Tyler tradition of take away Chinese beside the open fire well observed and set out on the coffee table before them. Rose's plate sat uneaten and forgotten beside her as she sat curled in a chair by the fire, the tight fitting brown pinstripe jacket wrapped over her thick winter pyjamas, her face buried in the collar as she stroked the well loved fabric.

"Rose darling, eat something," said Jackie.

"I'm not hungry," said Rose, staring into the dance of the flames, "Give the chicken to Sphinx, she wants it more than I do."

"You have to eat something," said Pete, "Think of the baby."

Rose shut her eyes against the tears that welled up in her eyes at the mention of her infant, her hand moving from the jacket to rest against her belly, the first signs of her pregnancy becoming visible at last.

"I'm not hungry Dad," she said, "I just…I'm just tired."

She felt two arms cross about her neck and hug her gently. She looked up at her son as he smiled mournfully down at her before perching on the arm of the chair next to her.

"Dad wouldn't want you to be sad Mum," he said, "Not today, he loved Christmas."

"I'm trying Addy," said Rose softly attempting to smile but failing miserably, "I really am. He'd be so proud of you, how you've accepted it all."

Adric bit his lip against the threat of tears, "He died twice for me and I was a jerk, I hope he knows that I'm sorry."

"He does," said Rose brushing away the errant tears on her cheeks, "I'm going to go to bed, I'll see you in the morning."

Without waiting for the calls of goodnight Rose got up from the chair and hurried out of the room, her footsteps echoing from the stairs as she ran up them before the door shut firmly behind her. Adric took the place she had been sitting in, concentrating on the fire and the chatter of the television before reaching out and lifting one of the ornamental stockings from the mantle, running and finger over the delicate gold stitching of his father's assumed name. Silence reigned once more in the house they only sound that of Silent Night from the live relay from Saint Paul's Cathedral.

XXXX

Adric tapped lightly on his sister's door before opening it and walking inside, finding Jean as he expected at her desk surrounded by pencil sketches. The number of their father had increased but she carefully hid them whenever their mother was nearby. She turned to her brother with a weak smile as he perched on the edge of the bed. Neither of them needed to say anything. Since their father's death they had often found themselves in each other's rooms, just sitting in silence. Jean's had soon become the favourite as it was furthest from their mother's room and her tears, the large window looking out over the gardens and the place where the TARDIS once sat. Both were at a loss as how to comfort the woman who had always been so strong around them, never shown any weaknesses. Jack had told them that losing the Doctor was the single hardest thing any person would have to do and that was just as a friend but to lose him as a partner would be the hardest thing in the universe.

They often spoke on how most people should think it was hard on them to lose a father but their concern was more towards caring for their mother rather than their own grief, they had each other but she had no one left. Tonight Adric had sought his sister out for more than just their usual silent meetings. He had spoken to Mickey countless times since they had come home and he had informed him that Jack's ship could be once again made space worthy if not capable of time travel.

"Jean what would you say if I thought we should get Mum away from Earth for a while?"

"I'd say you should speak to Jack before deciding that we're borrowing his ship," said Jean before pointing to her phone, "Mickey rang."

"Alright smart arse but what do you think? Do you think it'd do her good?"

"I don't know," said Jean, "It might but it might remind her even more of Dad and make her worse. Besides, its not exactly the TARDIS is it?"

Adric huffed out a small laugh, "That sounds so weird."

"What does?" said Jean.

"You saying TARDIS like its common place or something," said Adric pulling at a loose thread on the bed spread, "Wish we'd had a chance to talk to Dad about it all. Jack says Mum knows more about Gallifrey but I don't want to ask her."

"Maybe one day," said Jean, getting up and moving to sit beside him, "Not a lot to do about it now though and we'll have to be careful who knows. Strange to think we're the last of a species we hadn't even heard of until a few weeks ago."

Adric took her hand, "Not the last," he said, "There's Freya too."

Jean cast her eyes to the floor, kicking at a discarded chocolate bar wrapper at her feet, "If she survives. I heard Gran talking to Grandad the other day, she said she was worried that with Mum not eating properly she might miscarry the baby."

Adric's grip tightened on her hand, "Don't say that."

"It might happen Addy and I want to stop it and I know I could. I can feel it Addy, all this power in me and you but we can't get to it because he's not here to teach us. If we knew we could help her, save her, find a way to go back in time and warn Dad before any of this happens."

Adric cuddled his sister close to him as the nightly onslaught of tears came to her. He hushed her softly as she wept into his night shirt, gripping onto the material as if it was some sought of lifeline.

"Jean," he whispered to her, "We can't keep dreaming that one day we'll be able to do anything to change things, we've just got to be there for Mum and hope she gets through this."

"I can't," cried Jean, "Every night it's the same thing, I hear it in my head, something singing, telling me not to give up hope. I hear the TARDIS, the sound of those engines, I can hear Dad calling out to me in the darkness but when I open my eyes its all gone and everything's silent."

"Oh Jean…"

"Sometimes even when I'm awake I can close my eyes and hear it, those engines."

"Jean?"

"Its like they're so close…"

"Jean?"

"I can hear them now in my head, its like he's telling us to hope."

"Jeanne Antoinette that's not in your head, listen," cried Adric springing up from the bed and flinging open the window. The icy wind brought with it the deep rasping grate of ancient engines echoing across but something was amiss in its beat, questioning.

"Its her!" cried Jean, "It's the TARDIS but she sounds different… lost, perhaps she can't find us."

Adric took her hand and pulled her from the room, racing down the stairs and out into the snow covered garden, the sound of the engines still echoing above them. The icy wind buffeted them as they ran further into the gardens but they paid it no mind, searching the skies for the familiar blue box.

"Call out to her," said Adric, "You can do it Jeannie, call out to her."

"I don't know how," said Jean, "How do you call out to a ship?"

Adric slipped his hand around his neck and pulled something from beneath his shirt. He held the pendant out to his sister, smiling at her surprise.

"Mum gave it to me," he said, "You can use it can't you Jean, there's something in you that knows what to do?"

Jean grasped for the pendant but caught his hand as well, holding onto it with more might than looked possible in her reed like body, "Only if you help me."

Adric nodded and took his sister's other hand, them both looking up to the heaven's and silently praying with all their might that the TARDIS could find them. The sound of the engines grew stronger, echoing through the gardens and sweeping the snow up around them in the invisible updrafts.

"Come on Daddy," said Jean, "Find us Daddy, we're here, we're right here just find us."

"You're so close Dad," said Adric realising with some shock that he should feel stupid for talking to thin air but that it seemed to most natural thing in the world, "Just reach out and we're there."

"TARDIS can you hear us?" cried Jean, "Granny Dana? Come on TARDIS PLEASE!"

"I can feel her," said Adric, "She's breaking through, come on TARDIS please!"

"Addy look!" cried Jean pointing up to the sky. The snow clouds had gathered into a dark ball of fire and lightening above them but they felt no fear in looking at it, "Come on Daddy, come on!"

"I can see her, Jean look up there," cried Adric as the faintest trace of blue began to swirl around the cloud form. The tiny speck began to grow and grow, the engines now roaring in their ears so much that they were surprised the whole house wasn't awakened by the sound. Finally the outline of the blue box became visible, noticeably battered but intact and whole. With a final crash the clouds dispersed and the TARDIS began to hurtle to the ground. Jean and Adric ran from out of its path, diving behind the patio wall just as the ancient ship landed with a thump in the centre of the lawn. They peered nervously over the low lying wall, glad to see the ship still upright but smoking slightly at the edges. They waited with bated breath for the doors to open but their wait was short lived as the doors opened and a curious face peered out before breaking into a grin.

"Told you I could do it!" he called back into the TARDIS, "Oh ye of little faith."

Jean and Adric both smiled as Dana stepped out of the TARDIS after the Doctor and cuffed him round the head, "You did nothing," she said mock sternly, "I have a feeling you might want to thank those who helped you."

The Doctor looked over to the patio, "Well I would if they'd come out of hiding."

Jean was the first on her feet, racing across the lawn to her father's welcome embrace, burying her face in his shoulder as she felt him shake with the joyous tears at seeing them again.

"How long was I gone?" he asked as he released her.

"Four weeks," said Jean, "Its Christmas Eve."

"Yeah, utterly cheesy timing Dad," said Adric before sweeping his father into a hug. The Doctor was still for a second before wrapping his arms, tightly around his son.

"Does this mean I'm forgiven?" said the Doctor.

"For what?" said Adric before punching the Time Lord gently on the shoulder, "You done good for an alien."

"So did you two," said the Doctor, bringing Jean in under one arm, "I heard the pair of you, how did you know what to do?"

"We used our super powers," giggled Jean, "Gotta be some benefits for having a Time Lord dad."

"And you thought they'd need years of training," said Dana, her voice cracked with age but filled with mirth, "Now come on, inside its freezing and you two will catch your deaths in nothing but your night wear."

Jean took her grandmother's arm to help her across the snow as Adric walked alongside his father, begging for details of what had happened to him. The Doctor had barely begun his explanation as they found themselves in the light flooded kitchen, met by two concerned faces.

"What's going on?" said Pete, "We heard a crash and…Oh God!"

"Hey Pete," said the Doctor, "Got you back in one piece then did I? Does that get me off a slap for being late Jackie?"

The woman let out a joyful sob before running to him and hugging him tightly, "I've never been more glad to see you in my life you daft git."

The Doctor hugged her back tightly, for once not minding the often avoided physical contact.

"Pete go and wake the others," she cried over her shoulder at her husband, "Go and get Rose for Christ's sake, don't just stand there."

Jean had already sat her more elderly grandmother down at the kitchen table while Adric had begun the tea he was sure would be the first of many as stories were told through the night. Running feet echoed out in the hall and Jackie backed away from the Doctor as three half dressed figures appeared in the doorway. Dominic looked as if he'd seen a ghost while Jack just beamed but it was Rose's face that summed up everyone's emotions. Disbelief fell to a smile and then gut wrenching tears as she ran over to him, leaping into his arms like a child and gripping onto him for dear life.

"Oh my God!" she cried her hands tugging at his hair in attempt to see his face, "Oh God it is you. I thought…"

"Sshh," said the Doctor as he lowered her back to her feet, "I'm here, sorry I took so long."

Rose smiled through her tears, "I should kill you for what you've put me through."

"Please don't," said the Doctor, "I've done that twice now and it bloody hurts."

"I like this face anyway," said Rose pressing a kiss to his lips, "This gorgeous face and its idiot brain, where have you been? I thought I'd lost you."

"Wasn't it you who said that no matter how hard they try to split us up they never ever will?"

"You said never say never ever," said Rose as he fiddled with the pinstripe jacket she wore, the blue stripe matching the blue of the suit he wore.

"You should know by now never to listen to a word I say to you," said the Doctor, "Now what's with my jacket?"

"I was cold," said Rose before pulling him back into her arms, "I love you Doctor."

"I love you too," he said into her hair before pulling back from her fully, "And I'm sorry for worrying you, I really am. Are you alright though? And baby?"

"She'll be fine when she starts eating properly again," said Jackie, "But I think now you're back that shouldn't be a problem."

The Doctor was too busy studying the quickly fading worry lines on Rose's face to be too concerned with Jackie's words, feathering kisses here and there as she clung to him. He eventually pulled back, making sure to keep tight hold of her hand, "Now come on, I think we've got a lot of story telling to do and I think I need a cup of tea."

"You need a bath is what you need," said Dana from the table, "But you'd better get your explaining done first, don't think Rose will let you get away before then."

"Not a chance," said Rose squeezing his hand firmly, "Got my man back and I'm not letting him go."

Jackie shook her head in amused dismay before ushering the family out of the kitchen and towards the living room, smiling at the hiss of surprise that came from a sleeping Sphinx as she was nudged off her chair for her well loved master.

XXXX

The Doctor had soon explained his story to a shocked and awed audience. He told how the transfer had succeeded but the Idralas had tried to pass along the same time line to kill the Doctor before he even had a chance to encounter Cyka-Vind, before any regeneration had taken place. Dana had stepped into the breach trying to ward off the onslaught but she hadn't been strong enough. When the Doctor had left the controls to help her the stabilisers on the Rift had failed and it began to suck anything it could into the void. The Idralas, the largest and heaviest thing had been the first to go and the Doctor and Dana not too far behind, tumbling into the void. It had seemed the end but the TARDIS had materialised around them, protecting them from the perils of the void and pulling them back into a scar on the Rift but it had closed, they couldn't escape, caught in limbo between the real world and the void.

Days had passed as they tried in vain to find a way home, fearing that it would never be and that they would be forever trapped but then the scar had dislodged when a minor tremor had shaken the Rift, so minor it wouldn't even be worthy of recognition on any scanners. They had managed to pull themselves free of the Rift and the Doctor had immediately set a course for home, hoping to make the transdimentional tunnel and the passage to the alternate universe swiftly. The TARDIS had been more badly damaged than he had realised and had lost its way, jumping time tracks and unable to pin point on anything to help it land. Instead of being trapped in the Rift they were now hurtling through time and space at such a rate that the integrity of the ship was beginning to fail.

It was then they had heard it, the calls and the prayers echoing through time to them, pulling them home. It was enough of an anchor for the TARDIS and she began to drag them home, failing in the last few seconds as they fell to Earth. The ship would recover well but it would be a good few months of intensive labour before she could even be considered for travel. Ample time, the Doctor had informed them, to begin the children's training if they wanted to see what life was like with the whole of time and space at their fingertips.

Jackie had protested loudly at the thought but Rose had smiled in acceptance, the decision to come out of retirement easy for them both to make, the universe had grown idle without them. When the decision had been made Jackie had finally coaxed them all to bed although sleep seemed a far off idea for the two children eagerly sat on their parents' bed, begging for stories of their history and their species. Neither the Doctor or Rose had tired in their tales but had fallen gratefully to sleep when both their children had finally succumbed, dreaming of the adventures that awaited them at their parents' side.

XXXX

Christmas passed with more joy than the family had ever found on the day before, new family members were welcomed warmly, Dana new even to the idea of Christmas let alone the traditions but embracing them willingly, finding some of the concepts entertaining especially when Jack had been too over enthusiastic with Jackie's Christmas pudding and find himself almost choking on the sixpence she had thrown into the mix. Rose and the Doctor had exploited the mistletoe mercilessly until Dominic had noisily removed it from the house, tossing it onto the patio outside the kitchen door. Mickey, Marisa and Charlie had joined them in the early evening and the truth had been told to the latter two as to the Doctor's origins, much to their surprise but eventual acceptance, Marisa stating that she always knew there was 'something' about the Doctor.

As the evening wound down the Doctor found himself standing in the doorway to the garden, staring up at the stars that glittered above him in the black night. He heard the soft footfalls behind him but didn't need to turn to see who had come to him, the scent of her perfume proceeding her. He held her against him as she settled into his side, her hand clasped around a champagne flute of orange juice.

"What you doing out here being all anti-social?" said Rose, snuggling into him for warmth.

"Just thinking," said the Doctor, "So much has happened, so much is going to happen."

"That's just us all over isn't it," said Rose, smoothing down the lapel of the brown pinstripe suit she had hurriedly washed and dried for him to wear for the day, glad to see him in it once again, "So much past, so much future?"

The Doctor pressed a kiss to her hair, "I'm liking the present right now," he said, "I'm sorry how long I made you wait for me."

"You came back," said Rose, "That's all that matters, ever."

The Doctor looked down at her, taking the glass from her hand and setting it on the table before knotting his fingers with hers, "I never told you what happened in those thirty years."

"I don't want to know," said Rose pressing a finger to his lips as he went to protest, "You came for me, that's all I need to know. You're a mystery I could never hope to understand but that's the way I want it to be. The Doctor, the Time Lord, he's this amazing enigma with so much history, but you, the man who stands before me right now, the man who fought for his family like any other would, he's the man whose hypnotized me, he's the man I want to know everything about and I already do."

The Doctor leaned into her and kissed her, quickly deepening it as she let loose his hands and wrapped her arms around his neck, roughing up his hair. She moaned softly into him, a tiny little sound for him and him alone. He pulled back and rested his forehead against hers.

"I love it when you sound like that," he said softly, "I think right at this moment I might just be the luckiest man alive."

"And don't you forget it," said Rose resting her head on his chest as he held her close. She was silent for a moment but then tilted her head to look up at him, "Do you remember any of it? What happened, I mean from when you were who you were before?"

The Doctor smiled down at her attempts to put into words the paradox of his two selves, "Not from then no, I can't even begin to think when it happened to me."

"I think I know," said Rose, "I remember something in your eyes once, this look that I'd never seen before, you asked me never to change."

"Perhaps," said the Doctor, "We'll never know though but at least you did as I asked, you've not changed. I think he saw that too, you were older but you were still his…my Rose."

"Do you miss him?" said Rose, "Do you ever miss them when they go?"

The Doctor nodded, "Its strange but they're more like friends than anything, it's a strange concept," said the Doctor before he reached into his pocket and pulled out an envelope, "I've been waiting for the right time to give this to you. Its from him."

Rose looked at the cover to find her name and those of her three children inscribed in a long forgotten hand on the front. She opened it to find four words written on the paper inside.

"Sic itur ad astra," said Rose, "What does that mean?"

The Doctor smiled, "Its Latin," he said, "He's telling you to reach for the stars. Sic itur ad astra."

"Well I can definitely say that I will," said Rose, "As soon as this little one is born, back to the stars. Its weird, thinking that they're out there somewhere, in their own time line. The Doctor and Rose."

"The universal constant," said the Doctor before reaching behind him to pick up their two glasses, handing Rose hers and then lifting it in a toast to the stars above them, "Merry Christmas guys."

"Merry Christmas," said Rose, "Wherever you are."

"Isn't that a song?" said the Doctor.

"Probably but cheesy as it might be it sort of fits, I hope they're happy."

"You know they are," said the Doctor hugging her close, "Rose we're going to have to reschedule the wedding, your Dad said he'd cancelled the Savoy when you thought I wouldn't get back."

"I'm sorry. I didn't ask him to, everyone was just doing things around me while I just broke down. We can change the date though, perhaps make it after the baby's born."

"What's wrong with before?" said the Doctor.

"We're hardly going to get a date until a good few months ahead and I don't want to be the size of a house when I marry you," said Rose.

"Then marry me on New Years Eve."

"What?"

"Marry me on New Years Eve," said the Doctor smiling down at her, "We don't need all those guests your mother wants to invite, we don't need some posh venue and over priced caterers. Just you, me, our family and our close friends. My Mum knows the official rites of a Gallifreyan marriage, she could officiate for us. I wouldn't be legally binding but then I don't think either of us really need a contract do we?"

Rose was silent, shocked not only by the little time between the time she was in and New Year but also that he was actually asking her to marry him as his people had. She took his face in her hands, staring into his large, chocolate eyes, "Are you serious? Is this what you really, really want? A Gallifreyan service?"

"I want you to be my wife," said the Doctor, "And I want to marry you in a way that marks us out as different to everyone else in the whole universe. How many others still alive can boast they got married that way? Say yes, please?"

"Yes," said Rose kissing him before pulling back with a sly grin, "But you're telling my Mum."

"I die twice and it's still not enough for you?"

"You never died," said Rose turning back to the stars, "Don't think you ever will, not really. "

The Doctor smiled down at her before spotting something near there feet. He bent down and picked up the tangled sprig, the white berries a little squashed but still recognisable. He held it over their heads.

"Tradition?" he said smiling down at her. Rose raised herself on her toes and pressed a kiss to his lips, feeling them fall into a smile beneath her own.

"One of many," said Rose, "Mum sent me to find you, the kids have got that twister thing out."

"Oh Lord," groaned the Doctor.

"Indeed," giggled Rose, taking the mistletoe from his hand and throwing it back onto the patio. She took his free hand and lay it on her stomach, "And you'll have to take my place since you've got me in the family way."

The Doctor gave her an arch look, "Didn't hear you complaining at the time," he said, "The things I do for you Tyler."

Rose wrapped her arm around his neck, "The things I go through for you Smith!" she said, "Merry Christmas Doctor."

"Merry Christmas Rose."


	17. Till Death Do Us Part

The news of their impending nuptials was received with joy by all the family, even Jackie forgave the Doctor the loss of her social event when she saw the look on her daughter's face. All were shocked when the couple announced their wish to marry under Gallifreyan law but Dana happily agreed to perform the short ceremony for them, glad that in some way she could be part of the age old ritual even if she would never be there herself. The announcement had been made to those who were close enough to the couple to know their true heritage. Mickey and his family and Jake were the only people outside of the family asked to attend but the small intimate number were the perfect number of guests for Rose and the Doctor. The venue they chose ended up being within the TARDIS. Despite the exterior not standing to much in its present state, inside it was still perfect and with the loving attentions of Jackie and Dana the grand ball room type hall the Doctor had barely ever used before became decadently dressed for a wedding.

Rose had spent many happy hours in the wardrobe room with Jean, finding the perfect outfit for her to wear as her bridesmaid. In the end Dana had helped them select an elegant blue coloured dress, similarly styled to the wedding dress Dana had given Rose. The waist line dipped in a low V at Jean's hips and the sleeves just rested on the edges of her shoulders, showing off her slim, swanlike neck when her hair was pulled back into an intricate bun. Once the problem of clothing was sorted Rose spent much of her time memorising various texts the TARDIS had translated for her, teaching her the various rituals associated with a Gallifreyan wedding. There was not much different to an Earth wedding, she still entered on her father's arm but only half way before she would be met by the Doctor for him to take her to the make shift altar Dana was frantically preparing. The officiator would then welcome the guests before asking the couple to kneel before her. The vows were similar to those on Earth, to love, to share, to be faithful and the Doctor had made sure that they would be read completely in English for Rose's benefit. They didn't give each other rings as they would have done but their hands would be bound together by a silken scarf that Pete would have to carry with him and hand to Dana much as the best man would hand over the rings. The final blessing would be in Gallifreyan but its meaning was clear and then the service would end, they would be husband and wife.

Rose thought the simplicity of the ceremony was far more charming than the pomp and circumstance they would have had to endure if Jackie had had a hand in the arrangement and she felt less nervous knowing she would be before friends rather than hundreds of people more readily acquainted with her parents. The Doctor seemed slightly more nervous, constantly worrying that it wasn't what Rose wanted for her wedding despite her assurances that she couldn't want for more. To take his mind off his worries she would quiz him mercilessly about what he was to wear but he wouldn't answer her and Dana proved an equally secretive adversary on the subject. As the day grew closer all worries were put aside however to be replaced by nervous anticipation. The hall glittered with the decoration Dana and Jackie had arranged and the guests had all arranged a joint party two nights before, insisting that regardless of how many previous marriages or children the couple had had between them they still had to have the traditional hen and stag parties.

Rose and the Doctor had watched on in amusement as their friends and family got mercilessly drunk in their honour, content to watch from the sidelines in the glowing warmth of their family. It was only when Mickey had confessed his undying love for the Doctor in terms not exactly appropriate to the young ears that had stayed up with festivities that the party had been called to a close, resulting in a morning of hilarious hangovers that the Doctor and Rose exploited to their advantage.

Before too long though the day in question arrived and Rose found herself standing in her old room on the TARDIS, half dressed in the ornate red gown Dana had gifted her, staring in the mirror at her reflection in apprehension. Her mother had long since abandoned her for some catering emergency back at the house and so she had been left alone to fuss over her appearance more than she should have been, Jean being summoned to her grandmother's aid without argument. A soft rap came on the door before the handle turned and the small figure of Dana shuffled in, looking more hunched than she had before. She gave Rose a warm smile, seeing her state of undress and worry.

"You look wonderful," she said.

"Are you sure he'll like it?" said Rose, "I don't want to upset him by reminding him of home."

Dana chuckled but it turned into a hacking cough she had developed of late, sitting herself down in a nearby chair to catch her breath, "My dear Rose," she said, "He has asked for a Gallifreyan service, that in itself is enough to remind him of home. What pain could he find in you looking so beautiful?"

Rose smiled and fastened the back of the dress, glad to see that it concealed in the most part her only slightly noticeable pregnancy. She smoothed her hands down the heavy velvet until it hung gracefully around her ankles, concealing the small red slippers she wore beneath. At the Doctor's request she had left her hair long in its natural curls, sweeping only a few strands from her face to give her something to attach her veil to. She affixed the veil into place before turning to her soon to be Mother-in-Law, seeing the old woman smile warmly at the sight.

"Oh my darling Rose," she said softly, "If only…you would have been one of the great jewels of Gallifrey had she still shone today."

Rose blushed prettily as the door opened once again and Jean and Jackie hurried in, both stopping in their tracks as they saw the woman before them. Jackie immediately broke into tears, coming to her daughter and holding her face between her hands as she peppered it with kisses.

"Look at you in that," she said, "You look so beautiful."

"Thanks Mum," Rose managed to choke, the sight of her mother's tears always guaranteed to set her off, "Do you think he'll like it?"

"If he doesn't he's as mad as I've always thought," said Jackie, "You look so grown up."

Rose and Jean both laughed at the simple term, the sight of a wedding dress rather than two children, a job and several world saving attempts proof of Rose's adulthood. Jean played gently with the gold brocade at Rose's wrist.

"You look lovely Mum," she said, "I reckon Dad will faint when he sees you."

"I'd better go and see that everything is ready," said Dana struggling to her feet, wobbling slightly until Jackie took her arm.

"I'll go with you, make sure everyone finds their seats," said Jackie, the notion clearly ridiculous with the number of guests but neither Rose or Jean protested as she helped Dana from the room, "Your Dad will come for you when we're ready. Good luck."

"Thanks Mum," said Rose, "Make sure he's there for me."

"Of course he'll be there," said Dana, "Can't exactly use his ship to escape us can he?"

Rose giggled as the two women left the room, leaving her with her alone with her daughter. Rose tucked an errant strand of Jean's hair behind her ear, losing herself for a second in the endless blue pools of her eyes and finding herself once again reminded of the man she had so recently said goodbye to.

"My girl," she said softly, "All this is because of you, you know, working out those riddles and getting us out."

"Dad would have found a way to get us out," said Jean, still unable to take any praise for her efforts.

Rose smiled, knowing not to push the issue, her children still coming to terms with the abilities they had inherited and still wary of them. The Doctor had already begun their training and they both proved attentive students but it seemed that Jean was moving more to the empathic abilities the Doctor had often attributed to his grand daughter whilst Adric excelled at the sciences the Doctor challenged him with. Rose had noticed the change in her daughter almost immediately when she had been given any information, the deep concentration that she had seen in the Doctor before his regeneration becoming a common feature of her countenance.

"You never did tell me," said Rose, "The answer to that riddle."

Jean smiled, "Well it was simple," said Jean, "From the field to the purse, straw into gold. The princess' curse was Rumplestiltskin."

Rose laughed to herself at the simplicity of it all, "Thank God for your Father and those awful fairytales he used to tell you," she said, casting her mind back to years before, watching from the bedroom door as the Doctor not only told his children a bed time story but acted it out, winding them up so much that they never went to sleep on time.

A soft rap on the door brought Rose from her musing and she turned as it opened to find her father dressed in his best suit at the door. She felt a slight pang of sadness as she saw him and was reminded for an instant that it would not be her biological father who would be giving her away but she reminded herself that she had spent longer in the love and shelter of the man before her to the man she had lost in her infancy and he was as much a father to her as anyone could be.

"You look stunning," he said holding his hand out to her, "Ready to go?"

Rose slipped her hand into his as Jean handed her the small bouquet of snow drops she had gathered earlier from the TARDIS garden and tied with the same golden thread that adorned Rose's dress.

"I'm ready," she said as Jean took up the back of her dress to help her over the threshold. Rose felt slightly odd walking down the sparse corridors of the TARDIS in her elegant dress but soon she was greeted by the decoration her mother had insisted upon to led up to the ball room. Jean went ahead of her, set to proceed her to the altar and to warn the others that she was due to arrive. Rose heard the soft strains of music beyond the door, seemingly created by the TARDIS itself as it sung with such beauty. She took her father's arm and he turned her towards the entrance. She smiled as she saw the shocked faces of the small congregation, all in awe of the regal outfit she had been gifted.

She looked ahead and was just as happily surprised to see her partner dressed in the most elegant outfit she had ever seen him wear. His jacket was of the finest brushed silk in the same colour as her dress, brocaded in the same gold edging she wore and looked more expensive that anything in the room. The cuffs pulled back to reveal a black shirt and waistcoat, both marked with the Council insignia she had seen on Gallifrey. He wore simple black trousers set off by a pair of matt leather jack-boots that came to his knees, he looked every inch the soldier Dana had often proclaimed him to be.

The smile on his face as he saw her made Rose's heart melt, glad that Dana had thought to give her the dress she wore if only for the few brief seconds of his initial reaction. It seemed an age until she finally reached his side, her father handing her over to the Doctor before backing away to the seat he had to take. The Doctor gave Rose's hand a brief squeeze, not moving for a moment as he gazed down at her.

"Oh Rose…" he said at a loss for anything else. Rose smiled and blushed as he lifted her hand to his lips and placed a feather like kiss on the back of it, "You look absolutely beautiful."

She choked slightly as the threat of tears loomed but the strong squeeze from his hand kept her in reality, "You don't look so bad yourself," she said, "Regimental?"

The Doctor nodded as he began to lead her to the altar where Dana waited for them, "Ceremonial," he whispered, "They wouldn't have let us where this into battle."

"You look so handsome," said Rose, "I'm a lucky girl."

Any further conversation was halted as they reached the altar. Rose turned to hand her small bouquet to Jean before letting the Doctor help her kneel, trying in vain not to catch her dress too much beneath her feet. Rose was sure that the ceremony passed in a whirlwind. She was aware of Dana speaking, welcoming the guests that had joined and speaking fondly of the couple. She knew that questions were asked of her and that she answered. She heard the Doctor's professions of his love, felt the softness of the silk that bound their hands together. She lost herself in the muttered prayers and blessings in a language she had yet to understand. To many a bride the details of their marriage are so scarce and Rose was no exception, her heart was engaged with other matters, the feel of her partner's hand anchoring her to reality, the gentle thump of her own heart meeting his in their unique off beat waltz, the knowledge that they were taking the one step she had thought would never happen again. It was all the feeling she needed in the world.

Before too long she heard the closing lines of Dana's blessing and the applause from her gathered friends but it was the look in the Doctor's eyes as he turned to her and pressed the sealing kiss to her lips that really caught her.

"My wife," he whispered as he pulled back, "My wife."

Rose found herself laughing as reality returned to her, "And about time to," she said as he helped her to her feet before pulling her into a tight embrace. They were soon broken apart by two eager young souls, both intent on joining their parent's joy. Rose was glad to see Adric went first to his father, any bad feeling between them completely lost to time and memory. Soon they were congratulated by the rest of their friends and family, all of them glad to see the step they had waited twenty years to see being taken. The Doctor had teased Jack mercilessly as he saw the tears in the American's eyes but then Jack had run a finger over the Doctor's cheek, wiping away several errant drops before pressing a kiss firmly to his friend's lips. Rose received the same treatment soon after and she was sure that their marriage would always comprise more than two people wherever they went in the universe.

Jackie had soon coaxed everyone back into the house where she revealed the spread she had spent the morning preparing, boasting that she had managed to achieve some feats of Gallifreyan cuisine with the help of Dana although it seemed that everyone chose to eat it except for the Doctor. Soon the house was in the full grip of its party mood and friends of Jackie and Pete who had been told that the couple were having a registry office wedding began to arrive, swelling the numbers until the house was heaving with guests, all celebrating the wedding and the coming of the New Year.

Both the Doctor and Rose had ended up near cowering under the table when Jack and Mickey had joined forces with Adric to write the most obscene and embarrassing best man speech possible, various embarrassing misdemeanours laid bare including the tale of a certain much younger Rose and the Doctor being caught in quite a compromising position in their old joint office at Torchwood One. The Doctor soon found his revenge on certain parties in his own speech but spent more of the time in grateful praise of his children and family. Rose's pregnancy was announced to a shocked group and the couple had laughed to find several of Jackie's older friends talking of convenient marriages despite them already having two grown up children.

The party was drawing close to midnight when the Doctor finally managed to pull away from the well wishers to find a seat beside his mother as she watched the festivities from her vantage point on the large sofa that sat in the small ante room between the lounge room and the great dining room. She greeted him with a warm smile and tired eyes, her bony hand slipping instantly into his as he sat beside her.

"Where's Rose?" she said, peering round him to look at the crowd before descending once again into a coughing fit. The Doctor rubbed her back gently, the concern apparent on his face.

"Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," said Dana, brushing him off, "Don't fuss Little One. You didn't answer my question, where's Rose?"

"She got collared by a few girls from work who went all gooey when they heard about the baby, I escaped before they started talking maternity dresses and yoga," said the Doctor, still frowning at his mother's constitution, "Enjoying yourself."

Dana smiled, "What do you think? My baby boy just got married, happiest day of my life."

"That's your wedding dress that Rose is wearing isn't it?" said the Doctor his face somewhere between a smile and frown as he brought up the memory of his late father.

"It was meant to be," said Dana, tilting his face up to hers as she noticed her downcast eyes, "But I'm glad I had it for her. I'm not sad if that's what you think, I needed no marriage to know your father loved me, I think you know that better than anyone. He would have been so proud to see you today but as he can't, I'm proud enough for the both of us."

The Doctor laid his head back against the sofa, watching as his daughter attempted to teach the young Charlie Smith how to waltz, "I'm glad I found you Mum," he said softly, "Can't imagine this without you."

"You would have managed," said Dana, "You always did. You've got so much strength in you my Little One and with your family around you I doubt there's much you won't be able to do. The Time Lords live on even when we of the old order passed over."

The Doctor squeezed her hand lightly, "Hey, you're not going anywhere yet," he said, "We've got a lot of years to catch up on."

"We've got the afterlife to do that," said Dana, patting down his fly away hair before gently catching his temple with her fingers, feeling the slight tremble it sent through him, "Now go on, leave me be to watch all you youngsters. Go and ask that lovely wife of yours to dance, its near midnight."

The Doctor pressed a kiss to her cheek, "I'll come and wish you a happy new year when the clock strikes."

"You do that," said Dana as he got up from the chair, watching his back as he walked back over to the dancing masses before closing her eyes, losing herself in the noise of the music.

The Doctor soon found Rose still surrounded by her work colleagues as they bombarded her with tips on how to avoid stretch marks and the advantages of a water birth, she looked decidedly bored by the chatter. He took her hand in his, flashing his most winning smile at her friends.

"If you'll excuse me ladies but I have to steal my wife away for a few moments," said the Doctor, "I did however hear Jack say that he was making cocktails in the kitchen."

The mention of the American's name caused several of the girls to blush, his good looks proving popular the second he had introduced himself to everyone. Without much more than a civil goodbye the girls all headed unashamedly towards the kitchens, not noticing that the Captain Harkness concerned was too busy flirting outrageously in the corner with a very concerned looking Jake.

"You are a life saver," said Rose as the Doctor led her towards what had been designated as a dance floor, "Husband mine."

The Doctor turned her under his arm before pulling her close as they began to move to the soft ballad now coming out of the music system, "I could get used to that," said the Doctor, "Got there in the end didn't we Mrs Tyler?"

"Certainly did Doctor Tyler," said Rose, smiling up at him as he began to turn her into the intricate Gallifreyan dance she had perfected with his former incarnation. The Doctor noticed the improvement immediately.

"You been practising?"

"Got a few tips off a very reliable source," said Rose cryptically, "Have I told you how gorgeous you look in that uniform? You really should wear it more often."

The Doctor raised an eyebrow in amusement, "You gonna wear that dress more often?"

"Like it then?" said Rose.

The Doctor seemed to ponder the issue as he turned her once more into a traditional dance embrace, "How do I put this?" he said bending so his lips rested beside her ear, "Did my heart love till now? Forswear it, sight! For I ne'er saw true beauty till this night."

"Smooth talker," murmured Rose as he pressed a kiss to her neck.

"You love it," he murmured.

"Don't I just," she said, taking a tuft of his hair to gently pull him back upright, "We're gonna be ok you and me, aren't we?"

"You bet," said the Doctor as the large TV screen was flicked on and the sound of the count down echoed from Big Ben, as the count down flickered on the fireworks set up on the Thames. The whole house began to take up the chant, counting down with the news reporter and the half frozen crowds on the South Bank. The clock reached the final ten seconds and the Doctor took Rose under his arm, holding her close as they watched the screen in silence.

"Four…three…two…one…Happy New Year!" came the cry from everyone in the house as they began to embrace one another, Jack already grabbing several bemused gentlemen for a celebratory kiss. Rose looked up at her husband as he seemed to shudder in the too warm room.

"You alright babe?" she asked pressing a kiss to his cheek.

"Yeah I…just felt something," he said softly, "Something went quiet."

"Quiet?" said Rose with a laugh, "Things just got a whole lot louder. Doctor? Doctor what's the matter? You've gone as white as a sheet."

Without another word the Doctor extricated himself from her embrace and pushed his way through the crowds of people to the small ante room between them and the dining room. Rose was soon close on his heels, seeing who he was heading for before they even reached the destination and feeling her heart skip a beat in apprehension. As soon as they reached the small chaise Rose pulled the curtained glass doors shut behind them, plunging the room into darkness save for the soft glow that flickered beneath the door.

She turned back to the scene before her but needed no medical training to know what she was seeing. Dana sat on the sofa, her head rested on the back and eyes closed in what looked like a peaceful sleep but the absence of the gently rise and fall of her chest gave away the true scenario. The Doctor was already knelt at her feet, her wrist held between his thumb and forefingers before he closed his hand around hers, bowing his head to her lap and sucking in a juddering breath.

"No," murmured Rose, "No not now."

The Doctor looked up from the floor, tears barely a heart beat away from spilling from his eyes and nodded. His free hand coming to his mouth in an attempt to stifle whatever sound was fighting to escape. Rose was on her knees beside him in a second, pulling him into her arms and feeling the tremors he was trying conceal. She felt her own tears running down her cheeks and soaking into his hair as she rocked him.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered to him, "Oh God why today?"

"I knew," said the Doctor against her shoulder, "We were talking before and she touched me and it was like…she sent me to dance with you but somehow I knew, I think."

"You don't need to explain," said Rose pressing a kiss to his hair, "She held on for today didn't she?"

The Doctor nodded, "She gave up her life for me knowing she got no second chances, she held on to see the one thing she always wanted."

The door clicked and opened before a bemused looking Jean slipped through the door, "I saw you guys come in here and…Dad?"

"Sweetie will you go and get your granddad?" said Rose softly.

"What is it? What's wrong?" asked Jean before her eyes fell onto Dana, "Something has…Gran?"

"Go fetch your granddad," said Rose again, "Please Jean."

The young girl nodded mournfully, fighting back the tears as she went to do as her mother asked. Closing the door securely behind her. Rose released the Doctor, running a hand soothingly along his back as he lay his head in his arms on the seat next to his mother. She gently unpinned the long red veil from her hair, smoothing it out before laying it reverently over the body before her, bending down to press a kiss against Dana's forehead.

"Sleep well," she murmured before kneeling back down to the Doctor and resting her head against his, finally feeling him succumb to his tears, "I'm here, " she said, "I'm here."

XXXX

The party had soon been dispersed by the rather quick thinking of Mickey and Jack, finding various feasible excuses mainly surrounding Rose's pregnancy. Jackie had taken the children away upstairs when the truth had been told to them, finding use in comforting them and preventing them from seeing their father in his grief, the memory of their mother's mourning still too fresh in their young memories. Jack and Pete had laid Dana's body out properly on the chaise, covering her back over with Rose's veil as the Doctor had watched on stony and pale, his tears subsided but the pain still in his face at the scene. Rose had instructed the rest of the household to go to bed, there being nothing that could be done until morning. The Doctor had been frozen to the spot on the floor beside the chaise from the moment they retired, staring blankly at the darkened living room opposite. Rose had left him only for a moment to fetch a blanket from their room before seating herself next to him, his hand automatically finding hers and gripping on to it like an anchor as she covered them both over and brought his head to her shoulder, content to sit with him until he was ready to speak.

The morning had dawned bright and fresh, lifting the mood a little in the house but not by much. The Doctor had smiled as best he could at his children when they had come down in the morning, holding them tightly as they both tried to resist the tears that were constantly threatening. Rose had managed to coax the Doctor to their room and persuaded him to change out of his wedding attire before sitting him down to enquire as to what he wanted them to do with regards to the funeral rites of his people. He had professed to have no knowledge of what to do when it came to the funeral of a Time Witch, the final bodies of Time Lords simply fading from existence when the end of their thirteenth life came. He had turned to her with a small semblance of a smile and told her that it meant they could do it as they saw fit, that he could decide how his mother should be remembered. Rose had left him to his musings whilst she went to ask her father to arrange a coffin for Dana, something elegant yet modest, much like the woman herself.

Before afternoon had come Dana had been laid in a delicate mahogany coffin, lined with a deep, midnight blue velvet and set about with flowers from the TARDIS garden, her body covered by the translucent red lace veil. The Doctor had taken her TARDIS and gone off on an errand only Rose knew of before returning, laying a familiar bunch of primroses in his mother's coffin before she had been carried into her own TARDIS by Jack and Pete, the coffin weighing little due to her slight form. The Doctor had followed in and for a long while stayed on his own, the others retreating to the house until he chose to send for them. When he returned to the house he had whispered to Rose his wishes and she had quickly instructed the others to hurry and dress in their finest black and to meet them in the Control Room of Dana's TARDIS. When they were all assembled the Doctor had set the engines running, the ship taking off smoothly and travelling without the usual bumps and dips that often accompanied a flight. Pete and Dominic kept their amazement at the ride quiet, knowing it was no time to speak of their exhilaration at their first flight into time and space.

They had remained in the TARDIS when they had landed before the Doctor had beckoned them outside, himself aiding Pete in carrying the small coffin. Jackie had gasped as she had recognized the small cemetery they had stepped into and saw the open space beside a familiar grave. There was no priest to officiate and no words were spoken by anyone else save for Rose's soft words of comfort to her children as their father and grandfather lowered the coffin into the ground and gently covered it over with earth. Once it was completely covered the Doctor returned to the TARDIS and retrieved a small plinth that he set in the ground, the small gold plate on it bearing the delicate Gallifreyan script that would forever defy translation.

Once all was settled and the children had chosen to say a few words each to their grandmother the family had returned to the TARDIS leaving Rose and the Doctor alone before the grave. Rose drew her eyes over the other graves before her, it seeming barely five minutes since she had first stood by them. Catherine, Simon and their infants. Grace and Ivy, their graves age worn but still well cared for, Mary Jones nephew having taken on their upkeep.

"Why here?" said Rose softly, watching the breeze dance through the Doctor's hair.

She saw him glance up to the place on the hill above where the Proctor house had once stood before looking back to his mother's grave, "Where it started," he said simply, "Do you think it's the right place for her?"

Rose nodded, "I think its perfect," she said before turning him to look down over the village and the rolling, unspoilt hills of beyond, "She's got a good view and if you squint…"

"What?" said the Doctor, unable to keep the smile from his face as Rose screwed up her eyes to look into the distance.

"Yep," said Rose, "See there, on the horizon, the top of the Capitol and its glass dome and when the Sun sets it bathes the sky in orange setting everything beneath it to fire and just down their, just off from the village is a tiny little cottage with summer flowers in the garden and a little water wheel in the stream that runs alongside it. Can you see it? And listen, listen carefully, there's someone singing, that ancient lullaby that would drift from the small bed room window at the back when the night was dark, swirling out into the night with the smoke from the wood fire and off in the distance is the faint rumble of engines as the fleet takes off from the Capitol, off to explore the world beyond and taking with them the dreams of a young boy that his mother would do anything for. Can you see it Doctor?"

The Doctor smiled taking the hand she was pointing and raising it to his lips, "Yes," he said softly, "Yes I think I can."

"Well then," said Rose, her voice barely above a whisper as she kept the image in both of their minds, "Loveliest place in the universe and close enough that we can visit, only a heart beat over the void. You ready to go home."

The Doctor nodded before leading her back into the TARDIS. The doors closed behind them, the small brick type building the chameleon circuit had chosen for them shimmering as the engines started up, echoing over the hills of Penrith. The wind picked up as it faded from view, picking up one of the tiny primroses from the grave and causing it to dance in the air and fly on the breeze, out of sight over the hills.

XXXX

The house was quiet. The clocks having struck midnight several hours before. The Doctor opened the kitchen door, his hands streaked with grease from working beneath the TARDIS console, the ship demanding hefty repairs following its encounter with the Idralas. He quickly rinsed off his hands in the sink, knowing full well the lecture he would receive from his mother-in-law the next morning but doing it all the same. Sphinx rubbed herself lovingly against his legs, trotting after him as he moved through the dark living room and up the stairs. He pushed open the door to the bedroom, smiling as the cat settled herself on the ottoman at the base of the bed, watching him with uninterested eyes as he undressed silently, careful not to wake the sleeping woman in the bed, her hand resting delicately over the precious secret inside her.

He pulled back the covers and made to climb inside but something on the pillow caught his eye, a small fleck of yellow and green on the dark pillow case. He picked up the small sprig between his fingers, sitting down on the bed and grabbing his glasses from the bedside table, slipping them onto his face. He studied the tiny flower in his hand, a small sprig of primrose. He smiled, inhaling the sweet scent before taking a book from the bedside table. Wrapping the flower in a handkerchief he pressed it gently between the heavy pages, noticing the poem that the page displayed, an old army line.

"Do not stand at my grave and cry. I am not there, I did not die."


	18. Epilogue

January 1st /66, 1:45am TARDIS TIME

Its seems barely five minutes since I sat down to write this tale but in truth it has spanned nearly fifty years, our lives so often forcing me to a pause and making me forget the work I have set myself. It is finished now however, this small glimpse into the lives of those long passed, a tiny tale that weaves into so many others but one that had to be written. So much happened to my family before and after the events of the Cyka-Idralas, my Father's history alone spanning nearly a millennia before my Mother was even born and their history so much more detailed than the scratches I have laid on this page. In some ways my Grandmother Dana's death both closed a chapter of our lives and opened a new one.

My sister and I began our schooling mere days after her burial, my Mother insisting that it was my Father's way of distracting himself from the pain he would bear silently from us all, such was his way with death when it came too close to home. We were soon facing the Prydonian syllabus that had been taught to my Father nearly a thousand years before, raising him to the ranks of Time Lord. Such a slave was he to our education that soon he and my Mother left their work with my Grandfather to dedicate themselves to us. We left the house we had been born into, living more or less constantly on the TARDIS we would soon come to love as home. Our Uncle Jack took control of our parents' roles at Torchwood, my Grandmother's TARDIS a gift to him from my Father on the day of his first promotion, a gift he used to its full potential and for the preservation of the universe he now served.

When my Mother gave birth to the child she had carried through our trials it was obvious from the start that she was indeed a child of Gallifrey. Freya Grace Tyler, perhaps the most mystical of the three of us as she grew, her abilities even surpassing my sister's. We were soon racing through the stars with our parents, the adventures we had too many to catalogue. We became legends in both universes, the rebirth of Gallifrey, the protectors of the light and good in the world. By the time Freya reached her twenties she was perhaps even more powerful than our Father in her skills, an amalgamation of my Grandmother's magic, my Father's logic and my Mother's compassion, so much so that she was often given her full name by my Father, Gallifreya, the spirit of the lost world.

We travelled on, our reputations proceeding us. The Doctor, wise and valiant, Rose, loyal and true, Jeanne Antoinette, passionate and caring, Freya, the ever young and strong and myself, Adric Tyler, the scientist, my Father's protégé. We were known far and wide, feared or loved. It was true though, as my Mother was told years before, the constant companion to anything as near to immortal as we is death and we had to watch on as those we loved faded and died. We mourned each one but it is our shame that as each passed it grew easier, the passage of death as essential to the balance of the universe as drawing breath.

Despite the new philosophy we found on death nothing could prepare us for our Mother's eventual demise. She had lived to nearly one hundred and two years old, staying within the confines of the TARDIS in her later years but her mind ever quick and alive. My Father's love for her was constant though he never regenerated again in her life time, remaining the same as she aged. When she died it was like a light had gone out in his eyes and we knew even before she had been laid to rest that he would never love again in the way he had her. We laid my Mother down beside our Grandmother in a small abandoned cemetery in Penrith that remained untouched for nearly a thousand years, my Father's science and Freya's magic ensuring its peace. The plaque still bears her name and two words, Love Immortal. She rests with the view that our Father said she once pretended was a view of Gallifrey, a truly ancient and moving sight that we still often go to when time allows.

My Father regenerated soon after my Mother's death and both Jeanne Antoinette and I soon followed him, the sensation the oddest thing for us both to experience but we soon grew used to it, six hundred years on from our birth and four regenerations between us we soon became used to the quirk of our biology. None of us know the number of lives we will be gifted, no test exists to establish it but Freya remains on her first life, still as beautiful as she was in her youth. We met and took with us many companions, the TARDIS always filled with warmth and love. Humans were always a particular favourite but we picked up aliens also, some stayed for a long time, others only a brief trip but each one was remembered, cared for and loved, their immortality found in ours.

We now only number three in the TARDIS, my Father passing to immortality not two years ago, his final life spent and his rest found at last. It was such peace when he passed that we none of us cried, our grief out weighed by the happiness and his insistence that death would reunite him once more with our Mother and Grandmother. He now lays beside her as he always did, over looking the small village where our story began, a small posy of primroses decorating both their graves. Freya often tells us that when the TARDIS is quiet she hears them still, my Father's off key singing joining my Mother's softer tones in the heart of the console room, swooping and lilting with the hum of the engines.

We travel on now in their memory, ever grateful for their influence but it is my Father who I will always look to for advice, his memory enough to educate me when I don't know where to turn. So we carry on our Father's work, his oath our inheritance and his actions our legacy and as for his sins, each was a sacrifice for the universe and of everyone I am truly proud.


End file.
